


Unexpected Fate

by DakotaSeverus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, M/M, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-18
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-08 20:11:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 60,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/765519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DakotaSeverus/pseuds/DakotaSeverus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would Hogwarts be like if Albus Severus and Scorpius were both Gryffindors? A story about the trials of friendship, and eventually a story about the trials of love with Albus, Scorpius, and Louis. slash ASP/SM, LW/? Rated M for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the Harry Potter characters or story, they belong to Mrs. Rowling and her beautiful mind. I'm just borrowing~ I've stuck to the canon expect for one slight thing... Severus Snape is alive. (All will be revealed in the future). Also, there's quite a few OCs, but I've tried to merge them as best possible (with familiar names or attitudes).
> 
> Will eventually become slash with SM/ASP. But much, much later. I'll give some warnings before.
> 
> So, I hope you enjoy!

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter One: The Meeting

Albus Severus Potter closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He had finally boarded the Hogwart's Express, and everything was suddenly sinking in. James's taunts echoed in the backgrounds of his thoughts as he slowly made his way down the aisle. It looked like all the compartments were already mostly filled. He looked around nervously, he could see James sitting with his friends in one, but he didn't want to depend on his brother at school. That would be breaking some sort of unspoken rule of brothers. Albus continued on. He saw Teddy and Victorie snogging in another compartment, it looked like they were accompanied by Victorie's girl friends. He cringed, that was definitely a no. Finally, toward the very back, he found a compartment with only one occupant in it, a blond boy looking out the window. He looked sorta distant, Albus wondered why he wasn't surrounded by other people yet. He looked nice enough.

He took a moment to inhale deeply, trying to build up his courage. (He would have to have courage if he ever wanted to be a Gryffindor, and not just a shy boy). He opened the doors to the cabin slowly, and gave a shy grin to the blond boy's sudden look of shock. "Um, hi?"

"Hi." the blond didn't give an inch of his thoughts beyond the quick look of shock he let slip a moment ago.

"Can I join you?" Albus tried, hoping he wouldn't receive his first rejection at trying to make a friend. That would totally suck.

"You're a Potter, right?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, I am" Albus worried his bottom lip a moment as he paused, "but that's not what really makes me me, of course. I'm not my dad.." Albus almost whispered the last of his sentence. He was afraid this would happen. He was afraid he'd be judged by his father's reputation before he could stake his own achievements in life.

"I can understand that." the blond looked him over, looking thoughtful. _What is he thinking?_ Albus slowly sat down across from the blond boy. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy." _Malfoy!_ He held out his hand. Albus smiled, nonetheless, and took his hand. He quickly placed the panic at the name 'Malfoy' in the back of his thoughts; he didn't want to seem like a hypocrite.

"I'm Albus Severus Potter." They ended their handshake and then just sat there looking at each other. Scorpius was very pale complected, with dazzling grey-blue eyes. His facial features were almost perfect to a point he seemed practically feminine. His platinum blond hair fixed in wild spikes and gave him an air of coolness. Albus, on the other hand, had an unruly bunch of black locks that ran wild. Though his eyes were just as dazzling with their emerald shade. He had been told many times that his eyes gave away what he was thinking, very reflective of his emotions. Albus also sported a decent tan, but not to the severe degree of his brother James, (for Albus wasn't as hooked with Quidditch as the rest of his family).

"What house are you hoping for?" Scorpius asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Um, well.." Albus's fear resurfacing, the thoughts of James's taunts coming back to mind, "I guess I was hoping for Gryffindor, like the rest of my family, but my dad also said that Slytherin would be lucky to have me."

"All of my family is Slytherin, so I'm sure that's where I'll be." Scorpius said, turning his gaze out the window. Albus worried his bottom lip. _Scorpius doesn't seem too happy._

"Well... what if you asked the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor?"

"WHA-what!" Scorpius practically spit out the word, his face turning slightly pink at the suggestion. " _Ask_ the Sorting Hat? What the hell kind of talk is that?"

"Well, my dad told me that he was able to ask the Sorting Hat to put him in Gryffindor. He said it would take our considerations into thought."

"But, _why_ would I want to be in Gryffindor? That's just crazy." Scorpius retorted, a little too sarcastic. Albus smiled, the blond was still pink.

"For one, you'd be in the same house as me. We can both ask and get in together. I mean, we can pick our own destinies, right? We don't have to follow our fathers'." With that statement, Scorpius turned almost cherry red. He didn't answer, just turned his gaze back out the window. Albus thought he saw a small smile grace his lips just for a fraction of a second.

 


	2. Chapter 2

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter Two: Shock and Awe

The trolley lady push her cart down the aisle. She had to pause a few times for the students whose eyes gleamed over the sweets. Albus poked his head out of the compartment, and grinned happily. His dad had given his two galleons just for the treats. Scorpius followed suit and leaned over Al's shoulder.

"Anything from the cart, darlings?" the woman asked, smiling as she looked Albus over.

"Yes, yes, can I get two chocolate frogs and a pumpkin pasty, please?" The lady smiled over the exchange.

"And for you, dear?" Her gaze turned toward Scorpius but smile wasn't as large this time.

"Could I get a box of licorice snaps.. please?"

"Over course. Now y'all have a great trip." With that she walked off leaving the two boys to nibble away at their treats. The atmosphere was a happy one, as they joked about.

"So, you're telling me that your uncle actually experiments his new merchandise on you?" Scorpius asked with a chuckle. Albus had told him about his Uncle George's new crazy love potions. It had been a disaster, though a successful disaster. Albus Severus Potter had spent an entire two days in love with his mother (she being the only woman Albus and George trusted enough). He had picked her flowers, wrote her poems, and even tried making her breakfast. _Tried_ , he thought, chuckling to himself. His mother had found the entire ordeal hilarious. Thankful, the potion was only good for two days. Albus blushed, why he volunteered to help his Uncle George was beyond him.

"Yeah, it's totally awkward but entertaining. You should try it out with me sometime."

"You're crazy, Albus." Scorpius laughed. "But sure, why not? I think my father would have a heart attack just for the thought." They both laughed again.

"Albus?"

"J-james?" Albus looked up to see his brother looking at him like he was crazy from the doorway. "Wh-what's up?"

"What the hell are you doing with this creep?" James demanded, he slammed the door open completely. The emphasize his point, he pointed rudely at Scorpius. "He's a _Malfoy!_ It's like you're purposely making friends with the enemy! Are you _trying_ to get in Slytherin?"

"NO! No, I'm not! He's not bad!" Albus countered.

"Bad? He's father and grandfather were DEATH EATERS!"

"Yeah, the word being *were*! You know his parents have reformed over the years! Dad said so himself!"

"Dad would flip if he saw you! He didn't mean go make yourself best friends with a MALFOY!" James grabbed Albus by his collar and hauled him up.

"Hey! Let him go!" Scorpius jumped up and pulled on James' arm. "What's wrong with you?" James knocked Scorpius back harshly with one hand. His strength from playing quidditch overpowered both boys easily.

"My problem? You're my problem! You're lucky I even acknowledge you exist!" James shouted. He pulled Albus out of the compartment with him roughly leaving the blond boy behind.

"JAMES! Stop it! Please! Let go!" Albus cried, trying to get out of his brother's grasp. He was unsuccessful, and now everyone was staring at them from their compartment doors. How embarrassing, it wasn't even his first day of school! "JAMES!"

"Shut Up, Al. We're going back to my compartment." They finally reached it, James shoving Albus in before he could protest again. Everyone inside looked up in confusion seeing the bright red and unnerved boy and the pissed off brother in front of them. "Sit down. It won't be long til we're there."

"Geez, James, talk about harsh." Fred Weasley joked, he leaned against the window. "Try scaring him much? At this rate, he'll beg the Slytherins to let him join their ranks."

"Shut up! He's not a traitor, just completely mental." James sat down by the embarrassed boy. Albus couldn't even take his eyes off the floor in front of him, he was upset and embarrassed and pissed! _How could James just yell at me like that in front of everyone?_

"Well," Frank Longbottom looked at Albus with compassion, "at least he's brave. My dad said that Draco Malfoy was the scariest."

"Whatever, _this_ Little Malfoy is just a sniveling and whining brat." James said, he kicked at the wall. "It'd do him some good to be put in his place." Frank cringed at the idea, but Fred just chuckled. He wasn't too different from his father, George Weasley, when it came to playing practical jokes.

"Maybe we could get a muggleborn to kiss him in the Great Hall? Taint his pureblooded lips a little?" Fred asked, laughing a little more at his idea. James looked up, anger leaving his eyes and a smile spread over his lips.

"I sorta like that idea. I wonder if the girls would play along with it?"

Albus continued to stare at his feet. He couldn't believe the nerve of his brother. He was so embarrassed, and now here his brother was planning on making an ass out of that nice boy! Albus ground his teeth together. Maybe he could warn the boy as soon as the train stopped? Would he get a chance to leave James?

To Albus's luck, when they arrive at the platform, his godfather Hagrid called him over. Albus didn't even glance back as he ran away from his brother and his brother's friends. He ran straight toward the half giant.

"Al! I'm so glad ter see ya!" Hagrid bellowed as he gave the little boy a crushing hug.

"Hagrid! I've missed you!" Albus smiled, he didn't get to see his godfather as much as he'd like. He was let down and he looked up. "I'm so excited to be here finally!"

"I can't bel'eve how big ye are! I remember it wasn't too long ago that I was holding yer pa as a baby." Hagrid mused, his eyes glistening in tears of happiness. Albus smiled at that. How gentle his godfather was. "Oh, are ye ready for the boats? It's special for the first years."

"Boats? How do the others get to the grounds?"

"The go by carriage. They need to settle in before the sorting ceremony before y'all arrive."

"Really?" Albus sighed in relief, thanking Merlin that he'd get a chance to warn Scorpius about his git of a brother.

"Now off wit ya. S'pect to see ya later." Hagrid beamed as he walked off to heard the swarm of kids. Albus looked around, trying to spot the blond boy. That wasn't hard, considering his hair stood out some much among the hectic crowd of students. Albus quickly pushed his way toward Scorpius, which was easier said than done. Many of the other students were much taller than Albus, making it hard for him to get around them. Albus could hear his godfather's call "First Years! This way!" in the direction he had just come from. The smaller students started heading toward him, Albus felt someone grab his hand and jerk him around.

"Albus! You're going the wrong way!" It was his cousin Rose. Her bushy brown hair framed her petite face which was covered in the Weasley's freckled trait. Albus worried his lip, he really needed to warn Scorpius.. "Come on, this way!" _Of course, wouldn't Scorpius be headed this way anyway?_ Albus looked around as he reluctantly followed his cousin. He'd lost sight of the blond and now he couldn't seem to spot him.

"Great." Albus muttered under his breath as they approached the boats. As they filled with students, the boats begin to slowly drift toward the castle off in the distance. It was magnificent, the golden windows burning brightly along the tall towers set against the night sky. Albus looked in awe, momentarily forgetting about his mission to warn the Malfoy boy. "It's beautiful-"

"Yes, now come on! You'll fall in the water if you don't look where you're going." Rose retorted as she pulled Albus into the tiny boat with her. They accompanied by a few other students. Alicia Abbott, a petite blond girl with a pink face. Wubben Abercrombie was a tall brunette boy with a lanky frame but honest eyes. Next to him was Xena Longbottom, a long, brunette haired girl with misty baby blue eyes and a far off look. William Thomas, another tall boy with raven hair sat toward the back of the boat. They all appeared nervous as they sat down.

"Wait for me!" Albus looked back, hoping to see Scorpius, but instead saw his other cousin Louis Isabelle Weasley running toward their boat.

"But there's not more room." William said, looking around the cramp boat.

"But I'm really tiny!" Louis said with a huff. He didn't wait for another rejection and hoped into the boat, practically in Albus's lap. "See? I'll squeeze in just fine!" Louis beamed at the others. They all stared at him in awe before nodding in silence.

"Oi, just sit down, you!" Albus said rolling his eyes. Louis always affected people like this, they always stared in awe. Of course, Louis was special, being he was one of the few males with Veela blood in them, and it showed! Louis had inherited the Veela's silvery-blond hair, and his mother's striking blue eyes. He had no traits that the Weasley's usually carried. Louis did sit in Albus's lap then, as there really wasn't anymore room.

"Sorry, I just didn't know anyone else.." Louis whispered in Albus's ear. Albus nodded, he felt similar. Being a new kid in a new school was scary. Luckily he had so many relatives! Except for James, which was pure bad luck.

"It's okay. You're my favorite cousin still." Albus said with a genuine smile. Louis beamed at the remark. But there was a huff sounded next to them.

"Hey! What about me?" Rose asked, overhearing Al's confession. "What am I? Chopped spline?" The boys cringed and everyone in the boat turned to listen to the conversation.

"I believe you mean 'chopped liver'" Albus corrected Rose (she merely rolled her eyes), "you should totally know that, you're mom was raised by muggles! And she knows everything! And no, you're my favorite _girl_ cousin."

Rose stuck out her tongue at Albus's reply. "Whatever, Allie."

"Yeah, Allie!" Wubben teased, hearing the pet name. Albus sent a death glare over Louis's shoulder. "I'm joking, mate!"

The rest of the boat trip didn't last much longer. They all chatted quietly until Hogwarts towered over them. Eventually all the first year students were herded through the school toward the Great Hall. They all made small gasps and awes at the sights. The ghosts scared a few kids. The statues and suits of armor stunned others. And when the giant doors opened to the Great Hall, warmth and light spilled out over their excited and nervous faces. They were swallowed into the massive room fill of students. Floating candles were scattered everywhere overhead. The long tables echoed gently with whispers and faces of curiosity.

Albus turned and saw his brother making a sour face toward him, but Albus could swear he saw an evil gleam in his brown eyes. He looked away and instead focused on the long table where the faculty were seated. Hagrid had already made his way to his seat, where he made the other teachers dwindle. Albus recognized Headmistress McGonagall seated in the middle. And further down, much to his secret excitement, he saw one of the men he was named after, Severus Snape.

The students all hushed as McGonagall stood up, and greeted the students. Before them was the small stool with the old wizard's hat, the Sorting Hat! Albus felt a shiver down his spine. He reminded himself that Scorpius and him had to ask to be in Gryffindor together!

"As I call your names, please come forward and be seated. The Sorting Hat will select your house and you'll go sit with the house accordingly." McGonagall said, but she gave a small smile toward the young and nervous students.

"Alicia Abbott!" The blond girl looked pale. It took a soft push from Rose before she began walking toward the stool. Albus could see her trembling. The Headmistress placed the hat on her head, the girl closed her eyes tightly. And a few second later, _"Hufflepuff!"_ rang out across the room. The girl looked relieved as she slipped off and practically ran to the table to the far right. The table cheered as they accepted her into their ranks.

"William Thomas!" the tall boy passed by Albus, he didn't look nearly as nervous as most of the students. It didn't take very long for the Sorting Hat to beam _"Gryffindor!"_. More applause rang out across the room as the boy walked over toward the table next to the Hufflepuffs.

More names were called, a lot of students Albus didn't now. There were a few Ravenclaws, a couple of Slytherins (which were greeted with applause and booing), and a decent amount of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Both Xena Longbottom and Wubben Abercrombie were sorted into Gryffindor.

"Rose Weasley!"

"Oh my god.." Albus heard her gasp quietly next to him. He brushed his hand over her arm as she walked by. She turned and gave a timid smile. He watched as she held her breath when the hat was placed upon her head. It took a few moments,and the verdict was _"Ravenclaw!"_

"Louis Weasley!" the small, graceful boy didn't even look nervous. _"Gryffindor!"_

"Albus Potter!"

It felt like every eye was on him. He suddenly felt very clammy, what if he didn't become a Gryffindor? _You have to! You're brave! Dad said, I just needed to ask.._ he made his way up to the stool and sat down, completely bewildered that his legs had obeyed. He felt the hat upon his head and heard a whisper in his ear..

_"Another Potter, more reserved than your brother or father, but still loyal and brave. Yet, you are also smart and decisive.."_ the Sorting Hat whispered.

_"Can I be in Gryffindor?"_ Albus thought, almost innocently.

_"Gryffindor? Why would you want to be a Gryffindor? You could do what your father didn't, become a Slytherin and take advantage over your skills dealing with power.."_

_"No, thank you. Besides, my father has plenty of power and influence even without his lack of Slytherin background. I'd really love to be in Gryffindor. Scorpius and I want to choose our own paths."_

_"You want to be a Gryffindor for the sake of someone else? Interesting... very well..."_ Albus held his breath, as he waited for the Sorting Hat's decision. He had asked, he had done all he could.

_"Gryffindor!"_

Albus beamed, he was a Gryffindor! He made his way over to his cousin Louis. A streak of blond caught his eyes and he turned his gaze toward Scorpius's nervous smile. Albus smiled his encouragement as he seated himself.

"Scorpius Malfoy!" Albus felt his breath disappear again. It wouldn't be long now, the moment of truth! He watched Scorpius sit on the stool. The hat seemed to take its time now. The nervous expression on the boy's face became one of determination for a moment.

_"Gryffindor!"_

So far, when the houses had been called, the tables had applauded. But when Scorpius, a Malfoy! was sorted into Gryffindor, the entire hall was quiet with shock! But Albus felt himself grin a grin so big. He felt a rush of relief and excitement and waved Scorpius over. The blond boy swaggered over and seated himself next to his Potter companion. Then he looked up and smirked. McGonagall continued calling the remaining students and everyone turned away from the shocking news of a Malfoy being a Gryffindor.. for now.

"You were right. I just had to ask." Scorpius whispered. He looked so much happier now than before.

"Awesome! Now there's no reason for any wankers" Albus turned to glare at his shocked brother, "to be mad at our friendship." _James looks like a deer caught in headlights!_

"Precisely." Scorpius and Albus chuckled quietly together. Scorpius was surprised to find his hand being taken and held by Albus's, but he didn't mind. This was his first real friend ever! And he, Scorpius, was a Gryffindor! Everything had turned out like they hoped so far. "Now, I'll just have to deal with the howler in the morning." The boys exchanged glances again and laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter Three: The Eye Before the Storm

The Gryffindor common room was the definition of cozy! There was a warm fire burning in the hearth; students sitting around it on the large couches and chairs gossiping. One group of students sat in the corner reading their textbooks. Another group was dipping into their stash of chocolate frogs and lemon drops. Everyone just seemed so... happy! Albus smiled to himself. Being at Hogwarts was going to be amazing, especially more so now that he had a new friend. Even if he was a Malfoy. _Certainly, Dad isn't going to mind. Scorpius is really nice._

"Hey, look! They're playing Wizard's Chess!" Louis exclaimed, looking at some older female students playing a board game in the corner. Albus, Louis, and Scorpius all stopped to look over toward the girls. They had just walked into the common room moments ago. Earlier, they had taken a walk to explore the halls of Hogwarts after their prefect, Frank Longbottom had shown everyone where the Gryffindor tower was and told them the password to the portrait. "Wanna go watch them?"

"Um, maybe later, I wanted to see what our dorm room looked like first." said Albus, looking slightly apologetic. Louis nodded in agreement. "It should be up those stairs."

"Think we'll all fit in there? God, it'll probably smell like socks with so many boys living together." Scorpius replied, and then chuckled at his own thought. He was a clean person himself, but he doubted all the other boys were.

"Eew, Scorpius!" Albus cringed. "But you know, it probably already smells like socks! I mean, Merlin only knows how many boys that room has housed! With said dirty socks." They all shared a moment to laugh. "God, that thought is disgusting."

"I agree. We should make it our duty to try to keep our socks clean!" Scorpius said.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Louis interrupted, a little loud. "It's so cool that we'll get to share a room together, Albus! We'll be like brothers!"

"We already do that when you stay over, Louis." Albus laughed. "Besides, what benefits me out of this operation? Now I'll have to deal with your snoring!" With that statement, Louis looked offended.

"I don't snore! That's so totally James!" Louis countered, just in time for James to hear as he walked into the common room.

"Are you seriously yelling that I snore in front of everyone?" James asked, more intrigued than angry. Louis flushed and looked toward the floor. Albus bit his tongue, holding back his angry remark. He was still mad for his brother's actions earlier in the day. "Even if I did snore, you'd never be able to tell with how loud Ted snores next door."

"Excuse me!" Ted cried, he was sitting on a couch not too far away with Victoire on his lap. "I'm offended by your accusations! James, you're definitely the one chopping down the trees at night. I know, because I can never get to sleep at your house!"

"Oh reeeeaaalllly! Then how do you explain this recording I have of you on my cellph-"

"OOOMMYMERLIN!" Ted jumped up, dropping the beautiful Victoire on her rear, and went to grab the cellphone that appeared from James' pocket. "DON'T YOU DARE! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN RECORD ME SLEEPIN', YOU PERV!" The two boys struggled around fighting over the cellphone. Everyone in the common room suddenly was watching in interest.

"Because! It was going to be my Valentine card to Victoire this year!" James teased, trying very hard not to have his phone broken by the much taller boy. Ted, desperate, bent down and bit James on the arm. "OOOWWWW! HECK!" James screamed, dropping his phone to the ground. Ted jumped at his chance, grabbed the phone, and ran out of the common room like there was a Blast-Ended Skrewt on his tail.

"Watch who you're pushing so hard!" the Fat Lady yelled at the boy speeding off. James stood there in shock for a moment. Albus, Louis, and Scorpius chuckled loudly with everyone else. Even Victoire was laughing, having found her way to the group of girls playing Wizard's Chess. Finally, James snapped.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, MALFOY! BACK OFF!" He stood up and shoved the blond boy to the floor. Scorpius fell, looking dazed. Everyone who had taken interest in the scene quickly scrambled back to their earlier activities, secretly glancing at the rising drama.

"I'm not the only one laughing, besides, it _was_ funny!" Scorpius countered.

"YEAH? I don't care. Just shut the fuck up." With that, James stomped off toward his dorm. The common room was totally quiet.

"What the hell crawled up his arse?" Scorpius growled. Louis lent out his hand for Scorpius, who accepted gratefully. He brushed himself off, looking slightly flushed and a whole lotta angry.

"He's just not taken with you." Louis said softly.

"Obviously." Scorpius retorted. He then looked over to the fuming Albus, but not for long because the messy haired brunette had stomped off in the same direction as James. "Uh oh."

Albus was pissed. _What is he thinking? Scorpius didn't even do ANYTHING! It was Ted who bit the bastard. Not Scorpius. James had no right to shove my friend!_ He found his way to the third year's dorm room door. He took a moment, trying to control his breath, but gave up and knocked the door opened.

_BANG!_

James looked up from his bed in the back, startled. "What the hell, Albus!"

"No, not 'what the hell, Albus'! How about WHAT THE HELL, JAMES! What's your PROBLEM with Scorpius?" Albus shouted as he crossed the room. James stood up, towering over his brother, and glared. "I mean, maybe I could understand you before the Sorting Ceremony, but he wasn't sorted into Slytherin like his entire family! He's in Gryffindor with us! _SO WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!"_

"My PROBLEM, Al, is that little blond prick's _face_ annoys the hell outta me! I can't stand to see his freakish blond hair without wanting to punk my guts up! He's A MALFOY! Get that through your head, MALFOY! You know? The family that tried to _kill_ our Mum and Dad! The family that HOUSED He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! They're bad people!" James shouted back. The room suddenly felt icy, the two boys glaring daggers at each other. Suddenly, Albus reacted. He slapped James across the face.

"Ack!" James fell back, holding his cheek gingerly. "Al! You just _hit_ me!"

"And I'll do it again if you EVER talk down about Scorpius again because you know what, JAMES? He _isn't_ his dad or his grandpa. He may have the name MALFOY, but he's different. He's his own person! And WHO are YOU to suggest otherwise? You haven't even spoken a word to him yet! You've only lashed out at him!" Albus was crying by now. He was upset, embarrassed, angry...

"Like I'd give any Malfoy the time of day. They don't deserve it for what they did to everyone!" James slammed his fist into Al's face. The smaller boy fell back to the floor with a thud. James jumped him, punching like crazy. Albus struggled and covered his face with his arms and screamed. He kicked and thrashed about, trying to get his brother off him.

"STOP! JAMES! IT HURTS!"

"Oh! SHITE!" A voice rang out. Suddenly James was being pulled back and shoved into the nearest wall. Fred looked back at Albus. He laid on the floor, sporting two black eyes, a cut lip, and bruises all over his arms. To top off the embarrassment, he was crying hard now. "What are you doing, James? You need to back off now! Get some fresh air!" Fred growled to his cousin. He pushed James toward the door, the dark-haired boy left without a word. "Are you okay?" Fred asked, timidly, kneeling by Albus. The smaller boy, still crying, shook his head. _How could I be alright? My brother just punched the shite outta me! He hates Scorpius! And there's nothing I can do about it!_ Al thought. He choked on his cry. _What am I going to do?_

A few minutes passed, as Albus slowly calmed down. He was thankful Fred hadn't bombarded him with questions. "I'm going to my room now." Al said softly, though his voice was strained. Fred nodded.

"Okay." He helped the other boy up. "Hey, I'll talk to him, okay? I mean, I can't promise you anything, but I can try." Albus looked up and gave a small smile.

"Thanks, Fred." But no matter what his cousin could say to James, there was just no way this _problem_ was over. Albus sighed heavily and walked to his dorm room. He didn't even take the time to appreciate how the beds were arranged snugly into the small space. Or how the room didn't overly smell like horrid socks. He just found the bed with his trunk beside it and fell flat against the mattress, closed his eyes, and let his dreams take over him.


	4. Chapter 4

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter Four: Bed and Breakfast

"Psst! Hey, he looks like shite!"

"I know, Will. James really did a number on him."

"You know... it's kinda cute, like he's a panda!"

"Ugh, Louis, you're a freak."

"Must be the Veela blood running through your head. No telling what kind of side effects it has on a male."

"Aww, shut up, Wubben. I'm not a freak."

"You're really, really weird though."

"Right you are, Scorpius. How should we wake up Albus?"

"Let's pounce on him and tickle him!"

"Again, weird, Louis. What about a bucket of ice-cold water? Or two?"

"I don't know.. that seems harsh, especially after his brother just beat the crap outta him. Plus, he's still in his robes."

"So what? Louis could just wash 'em and press 'em for Albus."

"I don't do laundry..."

"Let's do that muggle thing with the shaving cream and the feather!"

"What's that, Will?"

"You know.. put the shaving cream on his hand. Then you tickle his nose with a feather and SPLAT!"

"Oh... wow, that sounds awesome! Eer-do you have shaving cream?"

"Um, I don't, Wubben. What about you, Scorpius?"

"Nope, Will, I haven't reached that stage in my life yet. Louis, I doubt you ever will."

"Hey.. so totally not cool, Scorp. So... I'm guessing none of us actually shave..."

"That's.. disappointing."

"Yeah, I feel like my masculinity is being threatened.. Louis, you should leave the room to let me recover."

"Hey! I'm not a girl!"

"Ooooh! A girl-"

"I _just_ said I wasn-"

"No! Girls! They shave their legs!"

"You're right, Will! Hey, Louis! Sneak over to the girl's side and get us some shaving cream."

"Why me?"

"Dude, you look like a chick."

"I ... _really_ don't like you guys."

"Come on! It's for the greater good."

" _Fine,_ I'll be back."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Tickle... tickle... tickle tickle tickle~_

Albus scrunched up his nose and tried turning his head to the side. How annoying that mosquito was! But it just kept up tickling the end of his nose. Albus grumbled. "Go away..." But alas, the damned bug didn't stop jumping on his nose. Albus went to slap the bug in his sleep—

**SPLAT!**

"w-What the h-heck!" Albus shot up quickly, looking alarmed and dazed around the room. His roommates were all sniggering and surrounding his bed. Albus blinked. There was... stuff on his hand and face... _That.. wasn't a mosquito?_ William was holding a can of .. shaving cream?

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty" Scorpius laughed. He guilty waved the feather quill in front of Albus's face.

" _Oh my Merlin!_ " Albus gasped, realization hitting him. They had just played a prank on him! A muggle prank! That certainly hadn't been a mosquito! "I'm going to kill you!"

"RUNNNN!" Louis squealed when Albus jumped forward to attack. It all happened so quickly. William tripped over Louis' feet and landed on his rear. Louis had landed near William and was having a laughing fit. Wubben successfully got away and outta the room, but not before he elbowed Scorpius in the side, which sent the blond boy straight into Albus' attack. Albus had succeeded in tackling Scorpius to the floor. "TAKE THIS!" Albus wiped the remaining cream from his hand on the boy's face without mercy.

"NOOOOO! Aa! Louis, SAVE ME!" Scorpius squealed to the giggling boy. He squirmed, but only managed to spread the cream everywhere.

"Oh! Thank you, William!" Albus said as he retrieved the fallen can of shaving cream. An evil gleam flashed through his emerald eyes.

"Wait! That's Xena's!" Will screamed as he tried to jump and take the can back. But Albus was relentless. He began to spray the white fluffy stuff all over the other three boys. They all laughed and screamed. Will had finally pulled Louis to freedom. But the tackled Scorpius ended up looking like a snowman because he couldn't get away. Albus sat on top of the conquered boy and beamed through his shaving cream facial.

Later, after the boys had cleaned themselves up and returned the empty can back to an annoyed Xena, they all headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Albus gently sucked on his split lip. It hurt, but he didn't think it justified seeing the school nurse on the first day of term! They all sat at the end of the table. Wubben and Will sat on either side of Xena. Scorpius and Louis sat on either side of Albus. Plus, Rose and Alicia had both decided to join them from their respective tables.

"So, what's this rumor about you five started shaving today?" Rose asked, she was smirking. She started putting scrambled eggs and bacon on her plate.

"SERIOUSLY?" Albus asked as he dropped his toast. "Just how fast does stuff get around this school?"

"Well, sending the Veela boy of amazing looks into the girl's dormitory is like lighting a match over a pool of gasoline." Rose answered. "That and the fact that he actually succeeded in getting into said dormitory. You do know there's a spell that only allows women to enter the girl's side. Guess him being a Veela is a loophole someone missed." She looked thoughtful as she nibbled on some of her bacon.

"Dude! You actually went into the girl's rooms?" Wubben asked the smaller boy. Louis gave a shy smile and nodded. Albus reached for another two pieces of toast and handed one to Scorpius. The blond boy smiled and reached for the strawberry jam.

"That's what you said to do." Louis whispered, almost as if he'd get into trouble if he spoke about his misdeed aloud. "Could I have some of that jam, too?" Scorpius nodded and handed the jar to Louis. Louis had opted for an English muffin instead of toast.

"But, I figured you'd just run up to a girl in the common room."

"Nope. Instead, I burst through their door and ended up seeing a lot of stuff I probably shouldn't have." Louis admitted with a pink face. All the boys looked at him with envy. Rose snorted and Alicia blushed and looked toward her plate.

"Yup, all the girls freaked out." Xena said. "Lucky for Louis, he looks like a girl. So, they all assume he's gay."

"WHAT!" Albus and Louis exclaimed at the same time, resulting in another piece of toast falling on the tabletop. There was a lot of sniggering from William and Wubben. Scorpius and Rose just shook their heads and smirked. They caught each others expressions and joined in the sniggering.

"I"m not gay! I'm totally into the girl thing!" Louis tried defending himself.

"Yeah, I don't share a bed with a gay dude!" said Albus. But that comment doubled the laughing fit throughout their group.

"Um, Al, that doesn't really help the situation." Scorpius chuckled into his friend's ear. Albus turned red. He had just dug himself a hole. Luckily, these were his friends. They knew better. _Thankfully._ It was then that the Great Hall was filled with the sound of wings and hoots as the morning delivery owls swooped down. A large tawny owl dropped in front of Scorpius with a letter. Albus looked up and saw his family's snow-white owl, Pepper, fly toward James at the other end of the table. Albus swallowed the knot in his throat. Had his parents heard about their fight? But.. how?

"Geez.." Scorpius muttered as he read over his letter. This brought Albus back to reality, momentarily forgetting about the letter his brother had recieved from their parents.

"What is it?" Albus whispered and tried to look over the blond's shoulder. Scorpius huffed but reluctantly handed the parchment over to the brunette. Albus read the short, sharply written letter quickly.

**_Scorpius,_ **

**_You're father and I are not happy to hear that you were sorted into Gryffindor. It's shameful to our family name. Who ever heard of a Malfoy in Gryffindor? We will be arriving later today to talk with the Headmistress about this situation. Hopefully, we can arrange to have you put into Slytherin. Expect us at five._ **

**_Your Mum._ **

"Oh, gosh! That's awful! Can they really have you switched?" Albus asked. Scorpius shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't know if it's ever happened before."

"You shouldn't worry." Albus said, but Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Oh, um, well, you see.. if it was possible to switch houses so easily, then my dad's godfather would have definitely been switched to Slytherin. He was a Black and he was sorted into Gryffindor. His parents hated it, that's what my dad says anyway." Albus kept his eyes down cast, hoping what he was saying was true. Scorpius smiled.

"You're right."

"Want me to have you back anyway? I can go with?" Al offered.

"Um, sure, why not."

"Cool."

"Ooh, look, the prefects are handing out our schedules!" Xena squealed as Frank Longbottom walked up to the group.

"Hey, you. Oh, Rose, Alicia, you should head over to your prefects and get your schedules." Frank said. The two girls smiled and chanted their goodbyes before leaving. "Here. It's like fate, you know. Gryffindors always seem to have double potions with Slytherins." The tall boy handed them all a sheet of parchment. Sure enough, their first class was potions with Slytherins. But instead of dread (like everyone else in the group felt), Albus smiled and felt excitement. _Professor Snape_ taught potions! He'd get to talk with one of the men he was named after! And not just that, but his dad had told him _he was probably the bravest man he knew!_ That had to mean he was super strong and someone to be proud to be named after. Albus had planned for this moment a long time. He was going to talk with Professor Snape and get to know the man behind the name, no matter what.

"Al? What's with the smile?" Louis whispered.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just good jam." Albus said. His answer satisfied the silvery-blond boy, but Scorpius looked at him curiously. He highly doubted that was true.

"Really?" Scorpius leaned over and whispered into Al's ear. "I didn't realize jam was so amazing." Albus flushed, but smiled again.

"I'll tell you later. In class. Sit by me." Albus whispered back and winked. Scorpius could only wonder.


	5. Chapter 5

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter Five: Potions

"So what wouldn't you tell me at breakfast?" Scorpius asked, as soon as he took his seat beside Albus. He looked curious and he had been literally dragged them to the classroom early from impatience. Albus chuckled. He hadn't thought Scorpius would be so interested in his secret.

"Well, I have this odd goal that I want to carry out.. it's sorta embarrassing." Albus admitted, his face was slightly pink. Scorpius raised one of his eyebrows.

"All the more reason for you to confide in me then. Maybe I can help you out?"

"O-okay, sure. Well, you must know that my middle name is Severus, right?"

"Of course. No offense, but you are one of the sons of The Chosen One. Everyone knows your name." Albus scowled at that. Scorpius smirked, he felt mutual on the subject. Everyone knew who he was, too, just because his father was Draco Malfoy.

"Right." Albus looked toward the floor. He held his breath. He was about to admit his secret goal that he had never told anyone before. Plus, he wasn't about to tell just anyone. He was about to tell his secret to the son of his father's childhood rival, his first best friend! "So, I have never actually met Professor Snape before. My intention is to get to know the man I was named after. And I mean like, really get to know him. I want to know everything about him." Albus took a chance to glance up at the blond. Scorpius looked shocked.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah.. I am."

"You know that Uncle Severus is my dad's godfather. I mean, I've seen him a few times, but he's like total stone! I don't think he's ever opened up to anyone!"

"B-but, I h-have to try! I mean, obviously my dad knows something about the man. Why else would I be named after someone who no one seems to like?" Both boys had to nod in silence. It was strange. According to his dad, Draco, Uncle Severus had never been on good terms with Harry Potter. Did he name Al after him just in spite?

"Fine. I'll do everything in my power to help you, Al." Scorpius said quietly after a few moments of silence. The brunette looked on the verge of tears. He smiled goofy and then reached out and embraced the blond tightly. Scorpius blushed. "Hey! I haven't done anything yet!"

"I know, but I'm so happy you'll help me!"

"Of course I'll help. You're my best mate now." Scorpius said. He squeezed the brunette tightly a few moments longer before prying himself free. It was such an odd feeling for him, to be touched. His family wasn't exactly nurturing in that way. Maybe when he was younger, but now his parents expected him to act like a reasonable adult. Scorpius smiled to himself. Albus was definitely going to change him.

Other students started filtering into the dark, dungeon classroom. Louis came in with Wubben and William. Louis separated from the two taller boys and say with Al and Scorpius. "Wow, you two got here fast."

"We didn't want to get lost." Scorpius stated. Louis nodded and smiled. He looked around the classroom as well. It was definitely creepy in atmosphere. Everyone seemed on edge, except maybe for some of the Slytherin students. Some of them had been whispering among themselves. One particular group of three boys looked over at Scorpius with an odd look.

"Hey, Scorp, what's up with them?" Albus asked. Scorpius kept his eyes down and voice quiet.

"They're probably mad because I wasn't sorted in Slytherin with them. I've grown up with them." Scorpius whispered. Albus nodded. Maybe things might be more complicated in their near futures, but maybe the boys would let the Gryffindor thing go? But as fate would have it, one of the boys stood up and walked up to Scorpius.

"Malfoy." The lanky brunette, peered down at the blond with black eyes. He smirked at the lack of response from the blond. "So this is an interesting turn of events. I'm sure your father is _proud_ of his Gryffindor son, is he? How do you like your first day among the lovers of mudbloods and half-bloods?"

"Shut up, Nott. I don't have to answer to you." Scorpius growled. He never looked up at the boy, Eric Nott. Albus did though, the smaller brunette flushed with anger at the boys words, but he held this tongue.

"Oh, that's fine. You do have to answer to your father though. I'm sure he's probably on his way here as we speak. If you actually realize your mistake, me, Parkinson, and Pritchard will more than happily re-educate you."

"Mr. Nott, if you would take your seat."

Everyone who had watched the tense exchange between Scorpius and Eric Nott now looked around at the smooth voiced, hooked nose man standing in the doorway. His black hair was long and tied at the base of his neck. His cold black eyes searched the faces of all the nervous students in the room. Mr. Nott quickly took his seat again. Professor Snape sneered. "Everyone put away your wands. You won't be needing them in this classroom. If I see one wand out, you'll be serving detention with me."

Albus swallowed the lump in his throat. He could also feel a stone in his stomach that seemed to weigh a ton. _This is Professor Snape_... He shifted uncomfortable in his seat. Louis didn't seem to notice, but Scorpius did. He slipped his hand under the table and took his hand without breaking eye contact with the professor. Albus squeezed the soft hand thankfully.

"I am Professor Snape. You will address me so." The man took a moment to look around. It always amazed him how many features he recognized on these students that belonged to their parents. He did enjoy guessing who was whose child. He loved taking advantage of them by embarrassing them with how much he knew about their parents. Then he caught sight of emerald. Shock ran through his stomach momentarily. Those were Lily's eyes. Snape turned around and faced the board, he began writing the recipe of a simple recipe on it. He wasn't going to acknowledge those eyes. The eyes of Lily, the eyes of Harry Potter. Those eyes haunted him so. No, never again would he let those eyes get the better of his soul.

Albus looked on confused. _Did he just look at me? He seemed surprised?_ Albus hoped that was a good sign, but as the class wore on. The professor never spared another glance at the brunette. In fact, he outright ignored the boy's questions or answers. He didn't even attempt to see if his group were brewing the potion correctly. Albus started feeling the sadness crawl into his heart. _Why won't he even look in my direction?_

"Psst, Al." It was Scorpius. He was slicing some ginger root up finely for their unnamed potion. If Albus had even been paying attention to class instead of Professor Snape's movements, he would have noticed this wasn't an ingredient they were working with.

"Yeah?"

"This being patient thing doesn't seem to be working. Maybe we should.. stir up a commotion to get his attention?" Albus's eyes grew wide. _Does Scorpius mean to screw up our potion?_

"WHAT!" He whispered harshly. "We could get someone hurt if we screw around with our potion! Besides, wouldn't that just piss him off?"

"At least if he was pissed, he'd give you the time of day. Plus, he'd have to give you detention. Then he would be stuck with you."

"Hey, guys? What are you talking about?" Louis interrupted. Albus worried his bottom lip. If they ruined their potion then Louis would take the fall with them. And the boy just looked too innocent as he stared at them.

"We're thinking about pulling a prank on Professor Snape." Scorpius whispered past Albus to the silvery-blond boy. Said boy suddenly looked evilly happy. _So much for innocent._

"I see.. that sounds like a brilliant idea. What ideas were you thinking of? I'd love to slip him one of Uncle George's bubble bombs!" Louis said excitedly. Scorpius easily stifled his laugh, but Albus had to cover his mouth with his hands to stop his. "I know, right? With all that hair, you would think he knew what shampoo was!"

"Shut up, Louis! He might hear you!" Albus whispered through his hands. Neither Louis or Scorpius paid this warning any mind.

"You know.. a perming charm wouldn't be too bad. Imagine, Uncle Severus with curls!" Louis burst out in laughter. Most of the students turned to stare at them with shocked faces. Who would have the nerve to laugh in Professor Snapes' classroom!

"Shhh! Louis!" Albus covered his cousin's mouth. Professor Snape didn't even look over. Now a few more students began to whisper obviously noticing the lack of punishment that was to be expected from the notoriously mean professor.

"Sorry, Al. But seriously, that would be hilarious!"

"I konw, but.. we can't do that! He'd flip out on me!" Al whispered. He looked over to his blond pal. "And you said you were going to help.. how is curling your father's godfather's hair helping us?"

"You're right. I was just thinking if we were to get into trouble we might as well have fun with it." Scorpius replied, a smirk gracing his pale face. Louis and Albus nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately for the sake of this conversation. I already know what we're going to do. And it happens to deal with our Boil Remover potion that we're working on right now."

"Aww, okay, you go ahead then, I'll follow your lead." Louis whispered.

"But, guys.."

"Shh, Lil Sev. I told you I would help." Scorpius whispered into Al's ear. The brunette blushed, and recieved a handful of finely chopped ginger root. "Toss this into the potion." Albus felt the lump in his throat again. _Oh, Merlin. Please forgive me for attempting detention on the very first day of classes!_ But Scorpius was right. No turning back now... and lifted the handful of ginger root above the potion, clenched his eyes shut, and released the ingredient from his hand...

**_BBOOOOOMMMM!_ **


	6. Chapter 6

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter Six: What Was I Thinking?

_What was I thinking? Seriously? How is trying to get detention my first potions class going to help me get to know Professor Snape! Oh, Merlin, why am I so gullible?_ Albus' mind continued to race, the Boil Remover potion had literally exploded. Everyone in the near vicinity was covered in the dark purple potion, including a speechless and surprisingly shocked Professor Snape. The entire classroom was so quiet! Albus could swear everyone could hear his breathing; he swore he could feel his professor's anger crushing him! And then, to Albus' right came the most shocking noise.

Louis was doubled over in a fit of laughter. Everyone, including Albus and Scorpius looked at him like he was nuts.

"E-eEVERY-ONE LOOKS L-LIKE OUR COUSINS!" Louis squealed, he still held in sides, probably from a laughing stitch. Albus took another look around. Obviously, adding ginger root to a Boil Remover potion made it a Freckle potion! Everyone with the purple potion on them was now sporting head to toe bright red freckles! He was covered in them, too! Albus turned to see his blond friend sporting his relatives' usual trait and almost laughed with Louis. But he also realized that a fuming hook nosed professor was also covered in freckles!

"THREE HUNDRED POTIONS FROM GRYFFINDOR! AND A MONTHS WORTH OF DETENTION FOR ALL THREE OF YOU!" Snape's voice echoed throughout the classroom, even Louis had stiffen and quieted at the anger dripping in their teacher's voice. The raven haired man glared daggers at the emerald eyed boy. Albus felt his head spinning. _Three hundred points? On my first day of class? From Professor Snape?_

The school bell rang out in the distance, but no one seemed to pay it any mind.

"We're sorry, Professor." Louis whispered. Albus nodded, but Scorpius stayed quiet (of course Malfoy's didn't apologize). "We were just seeing what would happen.."

"You were _just seeing?_ Potions is not a place for fools who don't follow safety regulations or clearly stated directions! I'm can't believe how ignorant you are! HALF OF US COULD BE DEAD!" Snape growled, his black eyes never leaving the sight of emerald. The piercing glare was impossible to break from. Albus felt his insides twisting in knots. He wanted to throwing up, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the anger burning in those orbs. "Your detentions will start immediately at 8pm. If you're not here on time, I will double the detentions. Now. Get. Out. Of. My. Classroom."

Professor Snape then turned quickly on his heel and left the room with his black cloak billowing behind him. This signaled the students to start scrambling from their seats and to clean up their potions and supplies before they ran from the room. Louis, Albus, and Scorpius were no slower than the rest. Louis used his wand to clean up as much of the exploded potion as possible. Scorpius was returning ingredients back into the jars and said jars back into the supply cabinet. Albus empty the rest of the cauldron.

He could feel the eyes of his peers on him. He had never felt so ashamed in his life. And upset! He bit his bottom lip as he held back the tears that threatened to fall. _I'm such an idiot._

After they left the dungeons, they ran toward their next class. They were already late for Transfiguration. As soon as the arrived and sat down, Professor Dew deducted five points apiece from them for their tardiness.

"Geez, 315 points in one day.." Scorpius muttered under his breath.

"I know, Oh Merlin, we're so dead. My parents will kill us both and save yours the trouble." Albus whispered back. He sniffled a little, too. The blond boy looked over at his best mate and frowned. He had known that the potion would give everyone freckles (he was especially enjoying seeing his Uncle and Albus with freckles), he wasn't dumb enough to just toss whatever into the cauldron, but he could kinda understand their professor's reaction. But still. Now his friend was upset and on the verge of tears. Scorpius feared he would be blamed for this. Did he ruin Al's chances of connecting with the greasy git?

"Thanks, I bet they'll be more gentle with our deaths than my father." Scorpius replied. Albus looked up shocked for a moment so Scorpius gave him a small smile.

"Y-you're wel-welcome." There was that nervous blush on Al's face again. "I'm sorry our plan went so bad.."

"Are you kidding? Instead of one day of detention, now Uncle Severus is stuck with us for a month. And maybe two if we show of late."

"Hey!" Louis interrupted with his sharp, soft-toned whisper. "I don't want to be in detention any longer than I have to!" He looked slightly scared of the idea that there might a chance of him having more than a month's worth of the most feared professor's detention. Albus gave Scorpius a look of amusement and both boys laugh amongst themselves leaving poor Louis irritated. "Seriously, guys! If I have non-stop detentions, then I'll never be able to do my homework!"

"You actually _want_ to do your homework?" Albus asked.

"Well, yeah.. Rose can't be the only smart one. Plus, you might have The Chosen One as your father, but I have a Veela-blooded mother!"

"You're mum is part Veela? Awesome." said Scorpius, but he was easily ignored at the moment.

"You're mum is like as sweet as a lamb, Louis. Besides, my father passes off my punishments to our grandma Molly. Now she's a force to be recon with." Albus smirked. Louis nodded in agreement. There was nothing more scary than their grandmother when she was agitated.

"Dude, I bet your mum is _like_ HOT!" Louis looked disgusted at the blond boy on Al's left.

"Seriously? Eww! I don't even want to think that!"

"She is, Scorp. Especially when she's all dolled up around the holidays." Albus smirked and winked at the blond. Scorpius winked back, a grin so deviant spread on his face.

"Really?" Scorpius looked from Albus to the silvery-blond boy. He reached over and placed his hand on top of his. "Louis," his tone was very serious, "I think I'm going to have to tap your mum."

"WHAT? Eww! Nonononono!" Louis ripped his hand back, and turned into a giant tomato. "OH MY MERLIN! No! No! No!"

"I mean it, if she's as cute as you, or.. hotter?"

"NOO!"

"Definitely, hotter, Scorp." Albus confirmed.

"AL!"

"Okay, hotter than you, then I'm just going to be your new daddy." Scorpius looked smug.

"M-my d-" Louis turned a pale white, even lighter than he normal was.

"That's right. Your Daddy Scorp."

"Oo, that will make you my uncle! Uncle Scorp." Albus chimed. Scorpius laughed a little too loudly. A few students glanced over at them. Wubben shushed them, obviously he was a bit sore about the points lost earlier. Unfortunately for Al and Scorpius, Louis literally felt light-headed from the thoughts of Scorpius being with his mother and being his.. father?

Louis fainted, falling back out of his chair. Albus and Scorpius looked over in surprise.

"Oh, shite, Louis!" Scorpius hopped up to help the petite boy.

"What's going on here?" Professor Dew looked down at the three boys. She looked irritated. Not only had these boys failed to listen to her entire lecture, now one of them had fainted? They were only trouble makers in her book. "Don't just sit there, take him up to the hospital wing." Albus nodded and jumped up to help Scorpius drag his cousin to the new destination. He latched on to their school bags and they took off. Their follow classmates all shook their heads in disappointment.

"Wow."

"What's that, my freckly mate?" Albus asked teasingly. Scorpius flicked him on the head.

"Lil Sev, these Weasley freckles were a price I had to pay to help your sorry bum, but alas, I am totally hot in anything. Even freckles."

"Alright, weirdo. What's really on your mind?" Albus asked. They were halfway to the hospital wing, down some long and empty corridor. Both boys had one of Louis' arms over their shoulders to support him. Scorpius smiled to himself.

"315 points, a month of detention with Professor Snape, and a trip to the hospital wing on the first day of classes. I think we broke some sort of record! We might have even topped off the ledgendary Marauraders!"

Albus laughed nervously. "Maybe, thankfully only _one_ of us is headed to the nurse."

"Oh that's what you think."

Both Scorpius and Albus stiffen at the sound of Eric Nott's voice.

"Hey, guys, think we should help them seal their deal?" Nott asked Neal Parkinson and Ray Pritchard as he cracked his knucles into a fist. Albus felt the lump in his throat again. _I swear my throat has a tumor_.. He feared the evil gleaming in the Slytherins' eyes as they slowly circled closer. He tightened his grip on his limp cousin's body. These boys were bigger than him or Scorpius. He wanted to run for in, but that wouldn't be possible with Louis like this. Even Scorpius seemed rooted in fear. _We won't stand a chance!_


	7. Chapter 7

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter Seven: The Hospital Wing

Albus opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the harsh bright light around him. His eyes were like windows to his heart, being very expressive. First they looked dazed, but suddenly they changed to confused and nervous. He sat up quickly in the bed he was in and looked around, his head spinning. He eyes finally settled on a particular blond sitting next to his bed. _Scorpius._

"Welcome back." the blond quipped with a smirk. Albus blinked. _Welcome back?_ His confusion showed on his face, so the blond decided to elaborate for him. "You're in the hospital wing. You uh- you weren't awake for a while."

"Wasn't awake? What do you-!" Albus suddenly remembered! Scorpius and he was bringing Louis to the hospital wing when they were stopped by some Slytherins! "Did we get beat to a pulp! You're eye is black!" Albus almost jumped out of bed to check his mate over, but the blond quickly pushed him back down firmly by his shoulders.

"Calm down! And no, besides my black eye, we didn't get beat to a pulp. You... kinda fainted."

Albus looked at his mate for a long while, letting the idea of _fainting_ soak in. "I fainted."

"Yup, went down hard to. Your head must be made of stones."

"I fainted.."

"Um, yea, did you hit your head? You're repeating yourself there, Al." Scorpius teased. Albus began turning red, his blush settling across his cheeks quickly. Here he was sitting in the hospital wing because he had fainted, while his best mate sat across from him fine with a black eye from his fight!

"OH MY MERLIN! I FAINTED! I'M GOING TO BE A LAUGHING STOCK!" Albus covered his face with his hands. "How could I have fainted in front of a bunch of Slytherins! They'll never let me live this down! So.. you took them all on by yourself?" Al looked up at the smirking blond. Scorpius couldn't help but lean back in his chair and enjoy his air of awesomeness.

"Well, I wish I could lie and say yes, but.." Unfortunately, his air of awesomeness could only last a few moments. Scorpius smirked nonetheless. He did make it through the fight with only one black eye.

"That's right, Malfoy. Don't forget to mention my help." Albus looked over to his right to see Teddy sitting up in the bed next to his. He hadn't noticed him earlier during his daze. He blushed again. "Yup, I ran across you bunch when I was rushing to the lavatory. By then, both Louis and you were a puddle on the ground, and Scorpius was trying to verbally attack those Slytherins." Scorpius frowned at that last statement, but remained quiet. "He made it out almost unscathed. I took more of the punches." Teddy said, pointing to his bruised face. "But it was so worth it, kicking Slytherin arse. They ran away like a bunch of girls."

"That's right! We totally owned them!" Scorpius exclaimed, the idea of being the victorious in a fight was elating.

"Oh, thank you." Albus said quietly. He looked down at his hands in his lap. His almost-brother had come to their rescue. And his best mate had stayed to fight even though he was totally out numbered. _Wow._

"Oh! You're awake!" Everyone looked up at the old medi-witch as she crossed the room to Albus. She started checking over him without a word. Finally she stepped back and huffed. "I can't understand this. It's the first day of school and you're already getting into trouble. You're too much like your father. He practically lived up in this hospital wing." Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head. Albus lowered his head in shame. He didn't like being compared to his father, especially when it was used as an excuse for why he always got into trouble. "I was told you fainted in the corridor, but you have two black eyes and some bruises and a split lip. I already have been told about why half of the Gryffindors and Slytherins are covered with freckles, too, if you must know. I'm not pleased in the least." Albus didn't look up at the witch even though he was taken aback. This was the first time for him to meet this witch and she was already treating him like his mother! "So, who gave you the black eyes?"

"Um.."

"I'll need words for an answer."

"It's nothing important. Just a tumble with my brother." Albus tried to not cringe at his admission. He felt like his was ratting out his brother.

"James? Imagine that. Potters, you never learn." With that she turned toward Teddy to look him over. "You can stay here and rest," she told all the boys, "but you'll have to return to the dorms tonight." She clicked her tongue in annoyance at Teddy's bruises before turning to walk away in a huff.

"Wait, do we get something for our bruises?" Teddy asked, sounding hopeful.

"Why should I waste my potions on voluntary tumbles and corridor fights? You all need to learn your lessons. Heal naturally. Besides, I wouldn't want to waste your opportunity at showing off your battle wounds to your other housemates."

"Wow, she's really in a mood today." Teddy said once the witch was out of hearing range (in her office). Scorpius quietly agreed. Albus still looked ashamed. He really had spent his entire first day at Hogwarts getting into trouble. _My parents are going to murder me! And here I am dragging Scorpius and Louis into my-_

"Oh!" Albus looked up and around quickly. "Where's Louis!" He didn't see the petite boy anywhere in the room. Hadn't he come to the hospital wing with them?

"Oh, that sexy petite thing we were carting here?" Scorpius asked teasingly. Albus glared for Louis' honor. "Right, well, he woke up a bit ago. He's out getting us some food seeing how we will be missing dinner later."

"Oh."

"Yup, the little runt seems to be happy he wasn't the only one who fainted." Teddy said with a deep chuckle. Albus hung his head in shame again. He couldn't believe he fainted either. Fate really was trying to toy with him. "Oy, can't believe I'm almost related to you bunch. Though, your dad," Teddy nodded towards Albus, "told me about the time he fainted twice in one year. He said it was because of dementors, but that's much cooler than freaking out about a fight."

"You're related to me though!" Scorpius beamed, ignoring the stab Teddy had made toward the brunette. Albus raised an eyebrow in question.

"He is?" Albus asked, also choosing to ignore Teddy. He'd find some way to deal with him later. _Especially for that comparison comment._ How was his favorite almost-brother related to his best mate?

"Yeah, a lot of pure-blooded families are related to one another. His grandmother is my grandmother's sister." Scorpius said, matter-of-factly. "So, I'm like your almost-cousin!"

"Eww, no, that's too weird! I prefer you just as my best mate." Albus said, trying to imagine Scorpius as his cousin. He couldn't. He couldn't possibly imagine Scorpius playing quidditch with his brother and his cousins. Or Scorpius sleeping over at the Burrow during the holidays. Or Scorpius just being around his parents! How would they accept the youngest Malfoy?

"Aww.. that's not nice, Lil Sev." Scorpius said, bringing Albus out of his thoughts.

"Lil Sev?" Teddy asked in the background, but was ignored.

"Well, that's like saying your brother is your best mate? It's uncool." Albus couldn't imagine bragging that James was his best mate. _I'd rather die._ He shuddered at the thought and looked back at the pouting blond. "Besides, best mate is an awesome title."

"Maybe I could be like your dad.."

"Huh?"

"Your dad. He married his best mate's little sister."

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM LILY!" Albus felt his older brother protectiveness grow instantly. _No way in hell his little sister was dating anyone anytime soon!_ But Scorpius was rolling in laughter. Even Teddy was chuckling quietly to himself. "I'm serious!" Albus tried to look scary, but nothing he did subsided the laughter in the room.

"I'm not! Besides.." Scorpius leaned over toward Albus to whisper into his ear. "I'd take Louis over Lily any day. He's much sexier~" Scorpius couldn't imagine a more crimson Albus if he tried. He was doing the Weasley in him proud by how red his skin glowed.

"!"

"Wow, no objections?" Scorpius asked triumphantly. Teddy looked on curiously, he had no idea what the blond had whispered, but it definitely undid Albus at the seams.

"Y-YES!" Albus spluttered. He couldn't grasp a single coherent thought. "Y-you st-stay away f-from Louis!"

"Did you really? You threatened Louis' chastity?" Teddy asked, totally laughing at this point. "I think I'm starting to like you, Malfoy." The two shook hands and laughed at the mess that was called Albus Severus Potter. It didn't take long for the silvery-blond to return to the hospital wing with an assortment of turkey and ham sandwiches. He trotted along happily, unaware of the small exchange from earlier. Albus couldn't look his cousin in the eyes without turning a dark crimson and thinking awful thoughts. Scorpius looked like the Malfoy he was with the smirk that didn't seem to want to leave his lips. Teddy looked smug, seeing as he knew something interesting that the fourth party did not. Louis sighed to himself, he was always left out of the jokes. He didn't understand why everyone was acting so.. very much like themselves.

"Enjoy." Louis said as he distributed the goods. All the boys dug in with their horrendous appetites. "Boys." Louis muttered and rolled his eyes.

"So, how long til we have to meet up with your father?" Albus asked, he was leaning up against the pillows, patting his full stomach happily after he had finished his turkey sandwich. He had decided to ignore Teddy and Scorpius' rude humor and think about more important things. But Teddy was looking at him oddly now.

"You're going to meet up with Draco Malfoy? Are you nuts, Al?" Teddy asked. "He hates our family's guts."

"He hates my dad. He might not *like* me, but he's not bound to hate me..?" Albus looked unsure towards Scorpius, who was getting uncomfortable in his chair beside the bed. The blond shrugged his shoulders as he squirmed around a bit.

"I don't know. It's not like I've invited a Potter over for tea before. I'm playing a new game of chess here."

"You should probably avoid him." Teddy wasn't convinced in the least. Harry had told him about the stories of Draco Malfoy as a boy at Hogwarts. The man was bad news. Even if he's son was an oddball for a Malfoy.

"He'll be okay. Everyone likes Albus, except for James and probably all of Slytherin." Louis piped up, he was lounging across the end of Teddy's bed, happily teasing Teddy's toes under the blanket. (Teddy had long ago stopped trying to correct Louis' odd behaviors). Albus groaned, thinking again about how he'd have to live with the knowledge that he, a Potter, fainted in front of three Slytherins. Scorpius looked over at the silvery-blond boy.

"What the hell are you doing?" Okay, so Teddy and Albus were used to the odd boy, but Scorpius was not. Seeing a boy play with another boy's toes was just down-right weird.

"What does it look like? I'm checking his pedicure." Louis said innocently.

"His... pedicure?"

"It's a muggle thing, Scorp." Albus said, "Muggles sometimes paint their nails. Louis likes to paint everyone's nails."

"I do indeed. I don't see why you shouldn't take care of them." Louis nodded. Teddy rolled his eyes, and Scorpius looked disgusted.

"Well, he's been forbidden to paint my fingernails. So, he has compromised full reign over my toes." Teddy said. "I don't want to advertise that my weird almost-cousin has been doing my nails."

"Come on, you love it when I paint your nails. I especially like trying to keep up with your many hair colors." Louis said, beaming with happiness. Scorpius turned back to his best mate. He decided that the little one was just a little too weird for him at the moment. He shifted a little more before decided that his chair was too much for him as well. The next best thing was to invite himself to Al's comfy looking bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Move over. My arse is killing me." Scorpius pushed the brunette over, giving him room to settle in next to him at the headboard. "So..." Scorpius looked over at the glaring brunette and smirked. "Do you let Louis paint your toes, too?"

"I - uh, seriously? That's what you want to know? And you never answered my question from earlier!" Albus was blushing again, (he swore he needed to discover a glamour that covered up overactive face pigmentation).

"All in good time, so, let's see 'em."

"See who?"

"Your toes."

"Oo, let's! I need to see if I need to redo them!" Louis said, he happily bounced over and reached for Albus' feet, who quickly hugged his legs to his chest protectively.

"No! Go away! You just did them four nights ago!" He even tried to curl his toes to protect their dignity, but with both Scorpius and Louis pulling on him and his socks, he didn't have much choice but to let them see his shining midnight blue nails. Louis excitedly looked over his handy work and approved before hopping back to Teddy's bed. But Scorpius stayed quiet as he examined Albus' toes. "Don't say a word." Albus growled under his breath, he quickly put on his stolen socks again.

"I wasn't.. they .. uh, they look nice like that." It was barely a whisper.

"Don't let Louis hear that, you'll be his next vic-"

" _Really?_ You think so? Oh! I know just the color for you, too!" Louis exclaimed, he jumped up quickly. trying to invade Scorpius' personal space. Scorpius tried to hide himself behind Albus, but that would never stop the hurricane known as Louis from approaching. He grabbed the boy's hand and looked over his empty canvases. "I'll definitely do you in Mermaid's Tears! Oh! Tonight!"

"What?" Scorpius sounded weak as he tried to free himself.

"I'll do your nails tonight at eight. And no, you can't back out of it!"

"But-"

"No, I won't take no for an answer. You like Al's, and I know you'll love what I'll do to you."

"Whoa, Louis, that sounds wrong." Teddy said as he tried to calm the growing storm by leading the boy away from the frightened teen. "Take it easier, he's still a virgin at this." Scorpius wanted to die! No way was Louis painting his nails like a muggle! Even if they looked nice on Al! No way! He was still a Malfoy, and he still had his pride! Albus couldn't help but laugh and feel sorry for his mate. There really was no force able to stop Louis from painting his toes now. Not after his ultra amazing hearing heard that compliment.


	8. Chapter 8

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 8: Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy didn't know how to respond when news that his son was sorted into Gryffindor. He was slightly irritated that he hadn't heard the news from a letter that Scorpius had written, but from the parents of Slytherins who grew up playing with Scorpius! He wasn't that angry at first. He was shocked. It took an entire evening of being shocked and a bottle of fire whiskey before the anger soaked in. Once that happened, he stomped around his mansion looking evil. He bossed the house elves around more than usual, threw darts and other objects at his Potter-head ( _Scarhead_ ) dart board, and then he did what he never did: he spoke his thoughts to his wife.

Biggest mistake of his life that was. She was angrier than him! Her tight-lipped expression was terrifying as she stormed off to her room. She had promptly written a letter to their son. Then he was obligated to go do things to solve the situation. Without her assistance, of course. He had to go to school and see his _Gryffindor son. Merlin forbid._ He had to find a way to persuade Headmistress McGonagall to switch his son's house. What he deeply hated the most was that he had to punish his son for something he had no control of. _Except for his thoughts and actions and way of thinking.._

_But that was all stuff he learned from his parents, right? Right? But he and his wife were both Slytherins when they had attended Hogwarts!_

Draco sighed as he sat quietly in the Headmistress' office. She had greeted him earlier without giving away her thoughts. He was sure she never liked him when he was a student, but hopefully that wouldn't stop her from listening to his proposition. Astoria had so sincerely written the Headmistress a letter as well, to inform her of Draco's visit. _How thoughtful_ , Draco thought.

He was slowly becoming very irritated. Malfoys had an image to uphold. Even if their family name was deeply affected by The War, that didn't stop him from teaching the lesson that Malfoys were superior. Scorpius was still young and seemed to have trouble following the concept, but Draco would remain determined. One thing that Malfoys never failed at was being punctual. Unfortunately, Scorpius was running late. Draco growled under his breath.

Finally, after five more minutes of silent awkwardness, the door to the office opened slowly. Draco held his breath in shock. The blond hair was definitely that of his son, but that was not his child! The child before him had large red freckles like a Weasley! And a black eye! The child's clothing was rumbled and not impeccable like a Malfoy's should be. There was also a miniaturized Harry Potter holding hands with that blond disaster!

"Where the hell is my son?" Draco asked, as though Headmistress McGonagall would really send him an impostor.

"Father?" The blond child spoke, looking up at him with uneasy eyes. The eyes of his Scorpius.. that abomination was really his child?

"What the hell have you done to my son!" Draco demanded immediately, turning toward the Headmistress. McGonagall didn't even flinch at the sudden outburst. "What did just two days of being a Gryffindor mutate him? I never realized that being a Gryffindor was a disease!"

"Whatever do you mean, Mr. Malfoy? Your son is a healthy young boy, rather a lot like you if I do say so myself." The witch said, a small smile tugging on the corner of her lips.

"Like me? Are you mental? I never once ran around looking like a blood traitor."

"Father, I'm not ru-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said toward the younger Malfoy before turning back to Draco, "but his appearance is through his own faulty prank. I remember how much you like pulling such pranks and fighting with a young Mr. Potter." Draco flushed at being reminded of his juvenile actions and glared daggers. _How dare she insult a Malfoy! If only looks could kill..._

"So, you tried pranking a Potter? Is that why he is here?" Draco asked his son sharply, noticing that the brunette was covered in freckles as well. _What was that Harry Potter look alike doing here anyway? This was his meeting with his son. And why is he holding his son's hand? It was almost as if- it was almost as if they were friends!_

"N-no, sir." Scorpius said, looking toward the floor. "We just wanted to see what would happen if we changed up the potion, sir."

"Have I taught you nothing? Changing a potion for fun is dangerous. You could have seriously hurt yourself or worse, killed a classmate."

"I'm sorry, Father. I did change the potion, but it was knowingly. I knew what potion it would change into."

"That's no excuse. You're here to learn, and following directions is half of the point." Draco felt his anger rising. His son was never a trouble maker. It was like one day of being a Gryffindor had turned him into Harry Potter! He was acting like his own nemesis! He was breaking school rules, getting into fights, and was a bloody Gryffindor! But, maybe half the problem was that his son with hanging out with a miniature Harry Potter! "What is he doing here? I didn't ask to see him."

"Father, I wanted to introduce you to Albus. He's my best mate." Scorpius said with determination. He looked at his father with I-dare-you-to-tell-me-otherwise eyes. Draco almost lost his composure and caught the gasp in his throat. _My son is best friends with a Potter! The Dark Lord in drag! What is the Wizarding World coming to? How dare his freaky freckles mock me like this!_

"Scorpius," Draco started, trying to keep his voice calm, "...seriously?" He looked down at the blonde with questioning eyes. The brunette boy tried to make himself invisible behind the blond. Their freckles haunting him nonstop. _And matching black eyes? Why?_ All the while, Headmistress McGonagall smiled to herself. She was enjoying this moment very much. How often did you see a Malfoy stand up for a Potter to another Malfoy? Her smile increased slightly when she spotted Dumbledore's portrait winking at her.

"Yes, Father. He's very important to me, and I refuse to leave my house just because Mother and you are unhappy about it. I like my friends very much. Besides, I was sorted into Gryffindor so that means that I'm meant to be there."

"Where did I go wrong?" Draco muttered to himself in vain. "Scorpius, you have to think about your appearance! Remember what I taught you? About blood traitors and muggle borns?"

"I do, but I think you're wrong. They're all really nice and I want to be their friend. It's my choice." Draco didn't know what to think. He son was being so.. so stubborn. _"There's nothing you can say that will make me stop being friends with Al!"_

"Headmistress, is there any way to change my son's house? Can't I pay you off?" Draco ask, not wanting to even think about how being around mudbloods and blood traitors was corrupting his only heir.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but The Sorting Hat has the final say in the matter. Your son was sorted into Gryffindor. There really is nothing anyone can do about it. Plus, The Sorting Hat has no use for money." Headmistress McGonagall said, quickly hiding her smile as Draco turned his attention on her.

"Are you serious? The damned Hat could visit a seamstress and work on its ragged appearance!" Draco glared at the ancient hat on the shelf behind Headmistress McGonagall's desk. (Which didn't return the glare because it was pleased to have pissed off the wizard so successfully by going against its judgement on where to sort the younger Malfoy). "Can't I remove him from school and readmit him so that he's resorted?"

"Even if you were to do such a think, The Sorting Hat will just give the same answer. He doesn't pick the students' houses on what they want but according to their characteristics and abilities. Your son fits into the category of Gryffindor better than that of a Slytherin."

Draco looked paler than normal. Albus and Scorpius exchanged a glance at each other. Draco noticed and then he felt the anger in him boiling again. _How dare his son befriend a Potter! How did this happen? This had to be Harry Potter's fault! He must have set this up somehow to embarrass him! He was looking at me on Platform 9 3/4! Maybe he had a guilty conscious!_ Draco couldn't believe it, well actually, he could! Harry Potter was setting him up! He was using their sons as a means to revenge!

"Fine! Do as you wish! Like I care!" Draco growled as he turned to leave the office. Scorpius looked shocked. What his father said and what he looked didn't match up. Draco looked pissed! But Draco left without waiting for his son's answer. He had more important things to attend to. _Like finding a way to get back at Harry Potter!_

Scorpius and Albus didn't know what to think, but one thing was for sure. Scorpius was to remain a Gryffindor and that meant they'd stay best mates now! No matter if the older blond left in a huff!

"Awesome!" Scorpius beamed. He was so thrilled he didn't have to switch houses! He had been scared that his father could pay off the school or something. Luckily that wasn't the case! He might have to deal with his father in private later, but for now.. Scorpius got exactly what he wanted.

"Your dad was really scary." Albus whispered but he was beaming now, too.

"He's mostly just hot steam. Don't worry." Scorpius said as he put an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "We should go celebrate! Us being in Gryffindor together!"

"Yeah! Let's go grab the guys!"

"Let's rock the night away!"

"And you two shall start by heading straight for your detention with Professor Snape." Headmistress McGonagall said, interrupting the happy bubble around the boys. They looked back at her with shocked dread, realizing that they did in fact have detention. And for the entire next month! "There's nothing like celebrating togetherness with Professor Snape." And with that, the Headmistress shooed the two speechless Gryffindors out of her office.


	9. Chapter 9

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 9: The Night of Detention

Scorpius. Albus. and Louis. They would have to learn the hard way. You don't always get what you want. Was a measly Freckle Potion worth the dreadful detentions of Professor Snape? At first, the idea of getting closer to Snape seemed to be perfect, but fifteen minutes into detention.. the Gryffindors were regretting their rash behavior. Professor Snape was a demon.

"It's a good thing you didn't paint my nails.. look at how dreadful they look now!" Scorpius whined under his breath. They had been ordered to manually scrub ever cauldron in the classroom and in storage. _Like muggles!_ Scorpius pouted some more.

"Then you'll definitely not get away without one later. _Tonight_." Louis said, with a determined glare. He was still fussy that he'd forgotten about their planned doom. Now he had to somehow corner the blond boy at a later time. And not only that, but Scorpius was right.. scrubbing was doing awful things to his nails, too! He'd have to work hard to keep them looking beautiful. "I bet Professor Snape needs a manicure like hell."

The Gryffindors tried to contain their snorts. "Seriously. He'd murder you if he heard that!" Albus whispered, he beamed at the thought though. Louis smirked.

"Oh, I bet he'd secretly enjoy it. Besides, he really needs a hairdo. I'd love to have a field day with him."

"I think that's just wishful thinking." Scorpius replied back. "I await the day he buries you under the Whomping Willow, but I wouldn't mind watching your fatal attempt first. Tell me before."

"That's not really nice, guys." Albus whispered, "Hey, pass me another scrub, mine is falling apart."

"Don't worry, Al. After I was done with him, he'd never kill me. I'd be indispensable." Louis said with confidence. He winked at his cousin as he tossed over a green scrub. Albus rolled his eyes and went back to his slug-coated cauldron.

"Who forgets to clean slugs from their cauldron before putting in back in the cabinets?" Albus whined.

"I bet they didn't forget. I bet Snape told them to make them as dirty as possible."

"Scorpius, that's just mean to assume. I bet it was a lazy Slytherin."

"Hey, I find that offensive, Lil Sev. We could've been _lazy_ Slytherins." Scorpius whispered back. Albus nodded.

"True. But we wouldn't be lazy. We'd be too busy covering our mates with freckles. I thought you're dad was going to die over that."

"He freaked out?" Louis asked. "Like bad?" Scorpius nodded.

"Yup, figured I was someone else's son." The three Gryffindors broke into laughter.

"I see..." A dark voice said from the back of the classroom said, causing all the boys to slip into sudden silence. "Obviously, you have failed to grasp the finer details of your assignment. I assume 'no talking' is not that hard to understand." Albus looked up at a grimacing Professor Snape. He definitely was pissed at them. The freckles that stood out over the Professor's stark skin were like harsh reminders of their ludicrous action. "I will have to find something your small brains can grasp to handle."

"We sorry, Professor." Albus said meekly, but Professor Snape ignored the comment.

"Mr. Malfoy, I think you can handle the cauldrons by yourself."

"!" Scorpius paled at the thought. They had barely touched the cauldrons in the classroom. They hadn't even looked in the storage yet! "...yes, sir?"

"Mr. Potter, I've decided that you'll finish the rest of your detentions with the Games Keeper. I've given him a list of suggestions." Professor Snape said, before turning toward Louis. Albus felt a small knot in his stomach. Was he the only one getting switched to another professor? "Mr. Weasley, you will be assisting me with some grading."

"Yes, sir." Louis looked slightly relived. Obviously the thought of no manual labor was a bonus for the petite boy. Albus studied his feet. Professor Snape really didn't like him. He didn't even want to handle his detention. Albus huffed in anger and left to leave toward the grounds. _At least my detentions won't be so bad. Dad always said detention with Hagrid were interesting._ "But still... Dad also said that you were probably the bravest man he ever knew... what about you is so great?" Albus whispered to himself. "What made you so important to Dad that he'd name me after you?"

_________________________________________________________________________

"Albus!"

"Hello, Hagrid!" Albus beamed, seeing his godfather was always positive. "Bet this wasn't how you were expecting to see me, yeah?"

"Well, I couldn't rule it out there now." Hagrid said as he invited Albus into his home. Albus walked in, immediately feeling the warmth of the hearth. "Yer pa always did like break'n rules."

"True, I did hear about that. I wasn't exactly trying to follow his example in that department, but I guess it wasn't avoidable."

"I don't know. A month of detention? That's putt'n your pa and uncles' reputations at risk." Hagrid chuckled and Albus smiled. _His dad and his Uncle George and Uncle Fred were notorious for their disregardful nature._

"Thinking about it, my grandpa and his friends were deliquients as well, right?"

"That's right."

"Hey, Hagrid, you've known Professor Snape for a long time, right?"

"Ya could say that."

"Well, Dad said he's probably the bravest man he ever knew. And he named me after him. But I haven't been able to figure out what's so amazing about Professor Snape."

"Why don't I get us some tea." Hagrid said as he pulled the hot kettle from the hearth. "Let's see.. Professor Snape.. ya know, yer pa grew up thinking he was the bad guy? They hated each other, they did."

"Hate? My Dad wouldn't name me after someone he hated..." Albus trailed off in thought. Hagrid gave a small smile to his godson as he pour them both tea.

"Well, that was how it was. Professor Snape, he was a spy for the light. He was in a difficult position. Not many people would do what he did for the greater good."

"Why did he?" Albus asked.

"I'm not exactly sure m'self. Everyone thought he really had gone to You-Know-Who's side. It wasn't until the very end that your pa had a change of heart. Something that Professor Snape showed him. Memories from what I was told."

"Has only Dad seen those memories?"

"I wouldn't know, Al."

"But they were more than en'uff to change your pa's heart. And to prove Professor Snape's innocence."

"I wonder what my father saw."

"Why don't ya ask 'im?"

"Dad doesn't really talk about Snape that much. I wouldn't know how to ask him."

"Well, maybe one day."

________________________________________________________________

"Oh my Merlin, that was _awful!_ "Scorpius moaned, as he and Louis headed back to the Gryffindor tower. "I don't ever want to see another cauldron for the rest of my life!"

"Well, you do have the rest of the month to finish what you didn't get to today.."

"Oh, don't remind me, Louis. And you, how dare you get off with just helping with the grading! It's like he's being harder on me!"

"Maybe he's disappointed in your behavior? Isn't he like connected to your family?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, whatever. I don't care what he's disappointed in. Merlin, and then he totally dumped Albus like the boy doesn't want to know who he is. He's such a sour lemon."

"Maybe he's pissed at Albus for how he acted, too?"

"I doubt it. If he was pissed, he'd keep him in his detention and torture him instead of sending him to his godfather."

"True.. are you about ready for your pedicure?"

"Why not? My nails look like hell now anyway. Go for it. I'm too tired to fight you off." Scorpius sighed.

"So, you're allowing a manicure now?"

"Whatever. Let's go find Albus. Where do you think he is?" Scorpius asked, but before Louis could reply, the brunette ran up to the group.

"I'm here! Sorry, I'm late! Hagrid wouldn't let me leave without eating like five of those biscuits!" Albus said, completely out of breath. Scorpius and Louis frowned.

"You spent detention eating biscuits?"

"And tea." Albus said with a smile smirk.

"Bastard."

"I'm not complaining. I got to sit by Professor Snape's handsome side all detention. He's got quite the profile." Louis said dreamily. He giggled like a girl, and bounced off ahead of the two other Gryffindors. Albus and Scorpius frowned.

"Eeww. Really, eww." Albus called out toward his cousin. "God, he's so strange sometimes."

"I'll double that. We're about to head to Louis' doom next." Scorpius whispered, so that the skipping petite boy ahead of them wouldn't hear. Albus chuckled.

"Of course. I expected that."

"We should.. play a game."

"A game?" Albus asked, suddenly questioning the evil grin on his best mate's face.

"Yeah, Truth or Dare." Scorpius stated. Albus looked impressed suddenly and stopped to face his friend.

"You know a muggle game?"

"I may have been told about it by some Slytherin friends growing up."

"Okay.. just the two of us?"

"Yup, it'll make this more fun. Do you want to start?" Scorpius offered. There was a moment of silence as the brunette stayed in thought. _What could go wrong or crazy with this game?_ The brunette held out his hand.

"Sure, but if you back out of a dare, you have to suffer a Louis makeover."

"Okay, and if you back out of a dare, you'll have to go streaking through the grounds."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Both boys looked serious for a moment, before they broke out in grins and shook hands.

"I'll never back down from a challenge."

"How very Gryffindor of you."

"Okay, Truth or Dare, Scorp?"

"Hey, guys! What's taking so long?" Louis called from down the corridor. "Get your asses to the common room or I'll hunt you down!"

"Dare me." Scorpius challenged.

"I dare you to avoid Louis for the next hour." Scorpius looked surprised for a moment. He nodded. So, he was about to have a pissed off Veela hunting him down? Perfect.

"RUN!" Scorpius shouted as he grabbed Albus' hand.

"What? You run!" Albus said as Scorpius pulled him along.

"GUYS! I'LL KILL YOU! GET BACK HERE! YOU PROMISED!" Louis bellowed as he began running after his friends. Albus gulped and quickened his pace with Scorpius.

"Never mind! He'll have my balls on a platter if we stop!"

For the next half hour, the Hogwart's castle heard no peace as the three Gryffindors ran wild through the corridors. Even though it well past curfew, the boys didn't stop their delinquency. They nearly knocked over some suits of armor on one floor, and almost collided with a prefect on the fifth floor. Eventually as the end of the hour neared, Scorpius and Albus found themselves squeezed into a broom cupboard. Both were out of breath, and were trying to hold their breath so neither Louis nor Peeves would hear them.

"So.." Scorpius whispered as he maneuvered around four brooms. Albus found his foot stuck in a pale, tried to quietly remove it without knocking around too much. "Truth or Dare?"

"Oi," Albus freed his foot only to fall back into some dusty old jackets. "Dare."

"Oh really.. so brave, you Gryffindor. Okay... let's see.."

"Oh God, you're going to pick something awful!" Albus whined, a little too loudly. Scorpius smirked even though he could hear Louis running toward them. He leaned forward and whispered his dare into Albus' ear. Albus quickly blushed and shook his head. "You're crazy!"

"Of course.. but you're not going to back out of it. Are you?"

"...NO! Oh... shit." Albus looked up as brightness filtered into their broom cupboard. A pissed Veela stood there panting and looking rather ruffled.

"I'm going.. to.. murder you." Louis hissed.

"Wait, Louis, I.. I can explain.." Albus said, as Scorpius nudged him forward. Louis lifted an eyebrow in question.

"It better be good."

"Oh... it is." Scorpius said with a lot of ego.

"Shut up, Scorpius." Albus scowled momentarily. Without second guessing his better judgement, he pulled his cousin into a hug and kissed his cheek. "I have the hots for you when you paint my nails." Louis nearly jumped to the ceiling trying to jump out of Al's arms.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Louis fell on his rear, completely red in the face. All the while, Scorpius burst out into laughter. "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Good job, Al," Scorpius laughed, ignoring the confused petite boy, "very good."

"Yeah, good. Now Truth or Dare." Albus looked slightly irked. And Louis' mouth fell to the ground.

"TRUTH OR DARE? YOU'RE PLAYING A DUMB ASS GAME TO AVOID ME AND EMBARRASS ME?" Louis shouted.

"No, just for fun." both boys said in defense. Louis glared and pouted at the same time.

"You two suck. You could have included me."

"And miss out on your wonderful reactions? We just love to see you blush, doll." Scorpius asked. "You were involved, just in a different extent." Albus nodded in aggreement. Finally the petite blow off his steam and stood up.

"Dare." Louis said defiantly, determined not to be left out of the game. He shot a glare at the blond boy still though.

"Okay... I dare you to... give Wubben a wedgie."

"That's lame." Scorpius replied from next to the brunette.

"So, it's my dare to pick."

"Fine, come on. Then it's time for your pedicures." Louis said as he dragged his dorm mates back to the Gryffindor tower.

Unfortunately for Wubben, he recieved an attempted wedgie from Louis that night. The sight of small Louis trying to wedige the much larger boy left the other first year boys rolling in laughter. But his determination at least got Wubben to shout out in shock. After that, Louis was held down and pummeled with pillows and dirty socks. Eveyone ended up spending some time coming up with stupid dares for each other. William tossed a stink bomb into the common room, Wubben sent Louis to steal Xena's bra, they tried to lock a pissed Xena out of their room, Albus peed out of the dormatory window, Scorpius confessed his love to Victorie, Teddy tried to punch Scorpius out and ended up joining their game, Teddy paraded around in Louis' cat ears and tail cosplay. Eventually before midnight, Albus and Scorpius allowed Louis to finally paint their nails. He picked a beautiful pale green for Scorpius' nails and toes, a shockingly bright yellow for Albus' nails, and a subdued orange for Al's toes. The entire ordeal survived Wubben and William's gay jokes. Especially once they were tackled and forced to sport Gryffindor colored nails. In the end, Louis felt accomplished. The other Gryffindor boys felt more odd, but completely content. How else would the first night of classes at Hogwarts end?


	10. Chapter 10

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 10: A Question - Part I

Before all the students of Hogwarts knew it, two weeks had passed by. Nothing particularly spectacular happened, but a rhythm was beginning to form that left some students wanting more. Classes and detentions were on uneventful. Meals were eaten. Friends and clicks were made. Yet all this left Albus wondering how he had wasted two weeks without getting to know his Professor more.

In Potions class, Professor Snape was as strict as ever. He never paid any mind to Albus. At this point the Gryffindor was sure he could be brewing the wrong potions and Snape wouldn't even notice, but he tried to follow along correctly. Obviously, even if he got detention from Snape, he would just serve it with his godfather. Scorpius and Louis were frustrated as well. They had survived two weeks of Snape's evil. Scorpius actually allowed Louis to give him regular pedicures now, because the grim in the cauldrons were eating away at his beautiful Malfoy nails. Louis continued to run odd errands for Snape. He, also, had yet to crack the Professor's grimacing exterior even with the close proximity.

Concerning the friendship of the Gryffindor Trio, as they were sometimes referred to, they were inseparable except at detention times. Wubben and William deemed each other best mates and made it their duty to terrorize the female population. Xena dubbed Louis an honorary girl, to his semi-distaste, and sometimes the petite boy would disappear off for 'girls night out'. It was at times like those when the other four boys were sit around and wish Veela blood upon themselves. Unfortunately, little did the boys know that Louis had become the girls spy. He reported wanted information about the boys to particular girls to give them certain advantages in the future.

The only other dynamics were Teddy and James and the Slytherins. Teddy always stayed neutral in all debates that didn't include his relationship with Victorie. Yet James.. James stayed stubborn and as annoying as ever, in Albus' opinion. He still hated Malfoy with all his guts and considered Albus and Louis traitors to their family. Rose tried to talk with him once, but he threw a tantrum in the Great Hall and stormed out. This left many people confused and a rumor began that James might be having a troubling love life that no one knew about, so he became more pissed off and avoided everyone except for Frank. As for the Slytherins they continued to glare and whisper angrily, but they had yet to second an attack on Scorpius.

That's how the first two weeks passed.

Then on a Sunday afternoon, Albus found himself bored and restless. Scorpius and Louis were busy pestering Xena about a color of nail polish that they wanted to borrow. Xena was enjoying giving them the runaround. Eventually, Albus decided on a walk and left to wander the corridors alone. He was somewhere on the second floor when he realized that he had yet to explore on his own. The classrooms were all empty and only a few students were wandering around inside. Most of everyone was in their common rooms or outside around the Lake, seeing as it was a beautiful day. That's why Albus was so shocked when he bumped into Eric Nott.

"Well if it isn't one of the Gryffindor Trio? What are you doing running around by yourself? Your boyfriends decided to dump you finally?" Eric asked, a malicious gleam glittering his expression. Albus glared back at the other boy. _So what if he's about a head taller?_

"Speak for yourself. I don't see Parkinson or Pritchard here. I'm surprised you can survive so far away from the dungeons." _What am I doing? I'm asking for death.._ Albus' statement seemed to irritated Eric because the other boy threw his bag down. The brunette Gryffindor tried to back away slowly.

"Gryffindors like to pretend to be brave. Too bad, your just being stupid." Eric said. It took about a split second for Albus to register that he needed to run for his life. And did he ever run. Eric Nott chased him throughout the entire second and main floor before catching him. Nott got in about three good licks before Albus kicked him off and ran off again. He grimaced as he felt his left cheek swelling. Without a lot of thought, he took the stairs to the dungeon. He took to hiding in one of the empty classrooms used for potions.

"Where'd you go you coward? I didn't think Gryffindors ran away!" Eric shouted as he stomped through the corridors. Albus held his breath in fear that he might be heard. When he heard Eric Nott slamming open classroom doors, Albus crawled over to the ingredients cabinet and climbed in quietly.

Albus lost track of time as he waited in the darkness. It smelled awful in the cabinet and it was hot. But when he heard the click of someone's shoes walk into the classroom, he determinedly stayed still. _No way was Eric Nott beating the crap outta me!_

"So there is the cowardly Gryffindor I've heard about." a voice said just before the doors to the cabinet were yanked open. Albus winced at the light. Then he realized that it was Professor Snape who had found him.

"..Sir." Albus greeted, Professor Snape just sneered.

"I see you've gone with the blackened eye look again. I don't see the appeal of the style really." Albus blinked. Was that a joke?

"I don't.. either, sir. Personally, it's never a mutual makeover."

"Obviously. Now please remove yourself from my stock. I believe you'll find the corridors free of a certain Mr. Nott for the time being." Snape said as he moved away so that Albus could climb to his feet.

"Thank you." Albus felt his face burning, this was the most attention Snape had ever given him. "I.. um-"

"I do not want your thanks. I want your absence." Snape said quietly as he looked away from the brunette. "Be on your way, Mr. Potter."

"I'm still thankful, Sir." Albus whispered. He took a step away before stopping and looking back. Snape frowned but said nothing. "Can I ask you a question?" There was a long moment of silence before the dark-haired professor made a move. He turned completely away from Albus.

"I can not guarantee an answer." _No stopping now._

"..why.. did my dad name me after you?"


	11. Chapter 11

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 11: A Night Out

"IT WAS SO AWFUL!" Albus wailed as he tried to unsuccessfully hold back his tears. Scorpius just looked sadly over toward his best mate while Louis tried handing Albus a cup of hot chocolate. "HE'S AN ARSE!" Albus wiped at his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He cradled his pillow tightly to his chest and he barely tried to hold the cup being offered to him. Tears rolled down Al's cheeks as he buried his head and cried some more.

"..what happened exactly?" Louis asked once Albus reemerged from the depths of the pillow. He finally got Al to take his cup without spilling it everywhere, and then he made himself more comfortable on the brunette's bed. "I mean, you kinda just ran in here crying. We didn't even know you weren't in the tower." Scorpius nodded. Albus sniffled and hiccuped as he took a sip of his drink.

"I-I was.. walking. And Nott-"

"Nott again?" Scorpius jumped up but Al grabbed his arm. "Did he try to hit you?"

"He's not the arse I'm talking about." Albus whispered, his face puffy and red. Scorpius reluctantly sat back down with a huff.

" _..wanted to kick his-_ "

"Well, I ran into Nott. And he may have chased me and given me a black-eye-"

"!"

"Scorp! Let me finish! I got away from him, and I somehow ended up in a cupboard in the potions classroom." Albus looked down at his hands and worried his bottom lip. The next part of his story included the said arse. Scorpius and Louis waited patiently as a moment of silence soaked in.

" _OMG!_ " Louis exclaimed, the reason suddenly dawning on him. "Did Professor Snape find you?" Albus gave a small nod. "OMG! What happened?" Scorpius looked shocked, too.

"I may have asked him.. why I was named after him... " Albus looked away in embarrassment and hide behind his cocoa cup.

" _OMG!_ "

"What happened? You can't leave us hanging.. did he let Nott loose on you? I wouldn't hold it past him."

"..that's really mean, Scorp. No, no. He said that my father was a fool. That's all he said before he left."

"Um, that doesn't really answer the questi-"

" _A fool?_ He's calling Harry Potter a fool? Maybe the rumors of him hating your father are true?" Louis asked more to himself as he seethed. Albus sniffled again. Scorpius took away his chocolate cup before it spilled everywhere.

"It's not fair.. why is he being so mean? I haven't done anything to him-" Albus planted his face back into his pillow.

"Except for the freckles." Scorpius interjected, Louis shot him a look. Scorpius rolled his eyes and finished off Albus' hot chocolate.

"And you look a lot like your dad. Everyone says so." Louis whispered. He patted Albus on the knee. "It'll be okay, maybe he just needs time. I'm sure there's a better answer to your question."

"You think so?" Albus asked, eyes pleading as he peaked at his cousin.

"Yeah, I do. No one names their child after their most hated professor. There is definitely a reason."

"I think so, too. I mean, he paired that guy up with Albus Dumbledore's name, right?" Scorpius said. "So, you've totally been named after an old geezer and a greasy git." Albus laughed with Scorpius but Louis smacked the blond upside the head.

"Really.. " Louis got up to return the mugs of hot chocolate to the kitchen. "I'll be back. Al, I'll do your nails when I return. Scorp and I found this amazing emerald green in Xena's backpack." As petite boy left room Scorp turned to hug Albus tightly.

"Feel better. If he doesn't shape up we'll just have to give him ginger hair, too." Scorpius said as Albus struggled to get out of the hug. The blond released him and laid back. "Uncle Sev can be really cold to people. My father says he doesn't trust people. I wouldn't either if I had been a spy." Albus gave a small smiled and laid back, too.

"True, maybe it's just his nature. But I will get him to open up to me. I want him to tell me why."

"Weirdo. You'll find out."

"I know, I know... You know what... My bed doesn't really have a good sky view." Both boys snickered as they looked at the dusty ceiling above them.

"We should sneak our bedding into the Great Hall." Scorpius smiled deviously. "And stay out there all night."

"Oh Merlin. _Seriously?_ We're going to be in detention forever.." But the blond wouldn't extinguish his wide grin, so the brunette smiled back. "Why not. But your carrying the bedding though."

"Okay, we'll have to wait for after dinner though."

Exactly twenty minutes after curfew, Louis noticed that his Trio mates were missing. "Odd." Was his only assumption. He figured he'd get some girl talk spying done anyway. Xena had asked him for his opinion on Winston Sloper, a seventh year Gryffindor. Unfortunately, he hadn't talked with that particular boy yet. Louis slowly made his way up to the seventh year boys dormitory, he didn't want the third years to know he was passing by. For Albus' sake, Louis had decided to avoid James for the time being.

"Louis?"

Louis looked up the stairs to see Teddy standing with a small stack of books in his hands. Louis smiled and approached. "Hey, Teddy. Need help with those?"

"I'm good. I'm just about to return them to Victorie. I think Rose is getting her into reading. She's never recommended me to read so many books for fun before." Teddy said with a laugh. Louis giggled at the thought as well.

"That sounds like Rosie. I didn't see my sister in the common room, so I assume she's in her dormitory right now. If you want, I can return them later when I deliver some information to Xena." Louis offered. Teddy nodded and turned around to go back to his dorm room.

"Okay, thanks. It's so weird that you can go to the girls' side, but anyway. What information are you delivering?"

"Oh, well.. it's nothing special. Xena's curious about a boy and I was going to find out what kind of character is he."

"What boy? Certainly not me, right? I'm definitely taken at the moment." Teddy said with a grin. Louis laughed again. They were both standing outside the doorway for a moment. The petite boy sighed.

"Not you, promise. It's one of your roommates, um, Winston?"

"Ah, Winston. Of course. I can tell you he's not the sharpest crayon in the box, but he's completely loyal and physically amazing." Teddy answered.

"Physically amazing?"

"Yeah, he's strong, great at sports, and does this odd muggle thing. He lifts weights."

"That's odd for a wizard."

"Yeah, well why don't I introduce you. Come on in." Teddy said as he held the door open to his shared room. Louis nodded and slipped inside. _So far he's promising for Xena._

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Scorpius and Albus were stationed outside of the Great Hall, haphazardly hidden under Albus' invisibility cloak. His father had given to him as a gift. He said it only made sense since he was positive James had stolen the Marauders' Map. Scorpius juggled their bedding while Albus tried to keep them both covered.

"We are going to be in trouble." Albus whispered to his companion, but the blond boy merely smirked.

"We are going to have an amazing night and the consequences will be worth it."

"Good Merlin, I don't think the Sorting Hat would have sent you to Slytherin at all. Come on, we might as well get a good view of the ceiling before we get caught." Albus said as they quietly pushed the door open. It was empty inside. _Thankfully._ They made their way to the Gryffindor table and laid their bedding on the floor beside it. Albus insisted that they stay underneath the cloak while they were there, Scorpius reluctantly agreed. The Great Hall's ceiling was beautiful that night. The sky was completely clear and full of bright stars. The moon was almost half full and had a rainbow circling it. Purple and blues dances around the blacks of the sky. Albus smiled. "Much better than my bed's view."

"Duh. Wonder if we can enchant our dorm ceiling?"

"I'm sure Rosie could find a way."

"True. You know, it's kinda cramped here." Scorpius whispered as he watched a shooting star dance quietly.

"You should have brought more than one set of bedding." Albus chuckled as he elbowed the blond. Scorpius hissed and pouted.

"No way I carry that many blankets. You should lose some weight so we both fit better underneath here."

"Are you calling me fat? I'm like a twig!" Albus exclaimed. Scorpius laughed at the brunette's shocked expression. "If I'm fat then you're a lard-arse!"

"My rear end is perfect! Don't insult it!"

"Really? Perfect? I doubt that. Especially after the kicking it'll get when you flip over-"

"Don't you dare! I have enough bruises!" Scorpius and Albus both struggled under the cloak. The brunette was failing at flipping his friend over so he could kick him. Scorpius ended it by biting Albus on the bicep.

"OOOWWWW! You bastard!" And then the biting war began. Unfortunately for them, all their struggling dislodged the cloak. Also, the Great Hall (as they would find out) echoes when mostly empty. It didn't take long for Professor Snape, who was on watch that night, to find the two Gryffindors chomping on each other. He didn't even announce his arrival, just stood there with a raised eyebrow at the ridiculous situation. After Albus seemly won the bite fight (Scorpius curled up in a defensive ball beneath his friend) Snape cleared his throat. Loudly.

Funny how two Gryffindors can look like deer in highlights.

"Shit."

"Indeed, Mr. Malfoy. Do tell me what possessed your Gryffindor minds this time." Snape looked down his nose at the uncomfortable boys as they scrambled to their feet. Albus looked at his feet in embarrassment.

"We lost track of time?" Scorpius tried, knowing it probably wouldn't work. Albus didn't answer, just looked down.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Malfoy. In fact," Snape said slowly, as he savored the moment, "another thirty points from Gryffindor for this ridiculous excursion. Now why don't you pick up your belongings and follow me back to Gryffindor tower. I don't have the luxury of time to deal with the likes of you."

"Aww, how mean, Uncle Sev. Um... you're not telling my father are you?" Scorpius asked as Albus and he gathered their belongings. Albus discretely slipped the cloak into their bedding. Snape held back the smirk, knowingly.

"I believe he already knows about your foolish involvement with Mr. Potter. I doubt he needs every intimate detail." Snape pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache approach. It seemed that he could never truly avoid Potters and their mischief. _Merlin, this one is turning out to be worse than that Young James Potter._

"Hey, Uncle Sev? How come you're not giving us detention? Ow!" Scorpius quietly glared at Albus, who had just elbowed the him.

"Don't give him ideas." Albus whispered. Snape raised his eyebrow in interest. Fortunately for him, the boy wasn't trying to gain his attention again, especially after earlier's episode. Snape closed his eyes for a moment, trying to let his sudden feelings of irritation and anger pass by. He had never expected the boy to ask him such a question. Certainly Harry Potter had shared his secrets with his family and friends. _Was that the boy's way of rubbing it in his face?_

"I do believe you still have two more weeks of detention with professors. I also don't desire seeing you more than I have to. Now, move along." _No need to worry about such things. I don't plan on seeing Harry Potter again. And I don't plan to involve his children in my life beyond educating them in class._


	12. Chapter 12

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 12 Rough: Mischief Managed?

Astoria sat in front of the fireplace as she sipped her tea. If you looked closely, you'd see her lips pinched in irritation. Ever since her son had gone off to Hogwarts, her husband had basically lost his marbles. Draco was insistent that there was some plot created by Harry Potter to _get back at him._

"Back for what?" Astoria asked the empty space around her. Sure, she knew that they were childhood rivals, but that's not reason enough to plot against someone. _If_ Harry Potter was even plotting anything. Of course, she didn't approve of her son's friendship with the young Potter. She had even been furious and threw a fit. But Draco had moved into obsession. It was all he talked about when he returned from Hogwarts. Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that. Currently he was digging around the dusty attic looking for Merlin knows what. "How very unlike a Malfoy. Why couldn't he just send one of the house elves?"

The fire crackled as time slowly slipped by. Astoria leaned back, feeling the quiet settle over the room. It was peaceful...

"I FOUND IT! AHAAA~!" Draco bellowed from the attic.

"Oh dear Merlin-"

"ASTORIA! I FOUND IT! NOW POTTER WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT HIM! I'LL TURN THIS LITTLE GAME OF HIS AROUND INTO HIS SCARRED FACE!"

Astoria rolled her eyes as she listened to Draco stumble across the attic. It wasn't even a minute later that he came running into the study, out of breath.

"Astoria! Didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, Draco. I believe even our neighbors heard you."

"Neighbors? We haven't any of those." Draco said, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Exactly. Now what did you find?"

Draco smirked as he held out his hand. His possessions glimmered from the light of the fire place. Astoria took a moment to look at what Draco held before she looked at him confused. She stood up, her body trembled with unease.

"You're not really thinking about using those.. are you?"

"Of course. Harry Potter won't know what hit him. Trying to embarrass our family by tainting our son with his. This will flip the chips into our hands. I believe that's the muggle saying anyway." Draco laughed as he tucked the objects away. He was oblivious to his wife's disapproval.

"Draco, listen to what you're saying. How is this going to 'flip the chips'? This will go terrible wrong-"

"Don't worry, Astoria. I know what I'm doing."

"And what is that? Please ease my mind." Astoria replied. Draco huffed at her statement.

"I don't have to explain myself. Just trust in my judgment. Now, I must go finish setting up the details of my retaliation." Draco turned and left the room in a hurry. It was obvious he was enjoying this 'game' too much. Astoria felt her temples throbbing from her now massive headache. Her gut told her something was going to go wrong with Draco's plan. Harry Potter had turned her husband into a child. A child that wasn't thinking clearly. But his mind was made up. And it wasn't like she couldn't work with the situation if things went very wrong. She sat down and looked back at the fire.

"Why can't things be easy?"


	13. Chapter 13

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 13: Does Your Name Begin with an 'L'?

Louis held his breath as he hid behind a suit of armor. He was trying not to make any noise because he didn't want to be caught by Lorcan Scamander. Lorcan was a first year Ravenclaw. He and his twin brother Lysander both were childhood friends of his, but it had been about a year since they had seen each other. Their mom, Luna, was friends with his aunts and uncles. Yet for some reason, Lorcan was trying to give him unwanted attention!

"Louis? Where did you go?" Lorcan called as he bypassed the armor. Louis closed his eyes and sighed in relief. If only he could just hide from Lorcan for the rest of the year. Louis watched Lorcan until he turned a corner before he ran in the opposite direction. It was lunchtime and he needed to get back to the crowded Great Hall.

Once there, Louis felt safe again. He hadn't told his friends about his situation. How was he supposed to tell them that guys and girls were chasing him down? Trying to hug him? Al and Scorp were currently battling with their forks and hadn't seen Louis approach yet. But his cousin Rose was sitting at the Gryffindor table with a knowing look.

"Hey." Louis said as he slipped into the seat next to Rose. She gave him a small smile and pushed a plate of sandwiches toward him. "Thanks."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rose whispered.

"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about." Louis said before taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"Right." Rose gave her best motherly look of disapproval. "Well, just to let you know, Victorie and Dominique told me all about their issues growing up and how they dealt with them. You know, the Veela affect."

"Both my sisters told you their issues?" Louis whispered back, amazed at the discovery.

"Yes, they figured you talking to me would be more comfortable than them talking to you. You're mum agreed, too. She had a talk with both of them. But you're a boy, so it's different."

"Of course, it's different!" Louis hissed, a little louder than he meant to. Scorpius raised one of his blond brows in question, but Rose shook her head at him. Scorpius reluctantly went back to trying to stab Al's plate of food to death. She looked back at Louis.

"I know it's different. It's why I asked if you wanted to talk about it. I'm assuming there's an issue with Lorcan and Lysander. I'm in their house, I've heard some stuff.."

"Both of them? It's not just Lorcan?"

"Hey!" Both Louis and Rose looked up to see Alicia Abbott smiling at them.

"To be continued." Rose whispered before she invited Alicia to join them. Louis sighed.

"You'll never believe what I heard!" Alicia said to Rose as she took the seat across from them. She was still a shy girl, but was now more comfortable around their group of friends now. _Maybe being around Gryffindors influences courage._ "I heard that there's going to be a party the night of Halloween!"

"What kind of party?" Rose asked.

"The kind students aren't supposed to have. It sounds exciting but I don't think I could go alone. You two should come with me."

"You mean one of those after-hour parties with drinks?" Louis asked. Alicia nodded. Rose frowned at the thought. "I remember Winston telling me something about one. It must be the one he was talking about."

"Are first years even allowed?" Rose asked.

"Are you talking about the Halloween party?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah."

"I heard that it's mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs attending. They're meeting in the Room of Requirement that night." Scorpius said. Albus nodded along with him. "Dominique was telling us about it in the common room earlier."

"Are we going?" Albus asked as he pushed his plate away; his sandwich was a lost cause after Scorpius and his fork battle.

"We should. I mean, if it's just Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs what's the worst that could happen?" Alicia asked.

"Being bold, are we? I wouldn't mind." Louis stated.

"We could get into a lot of trouble!" warned Rose. Yet, her warning went without any thoughts as the group continued to plan their night at the party. Halloween was only a little over a month away after all. Louis lost himself into the jokes and never noticed the set of eyes piercing through him.

* * *

 

A few days later, Scorpius, Albus, and Louis were enjoying a free period outside by the Black Lake.

"Isn't this kinda cruel?" Albus asked. Scorpius laughed as shook his head. "But.. blowing up toads? With exploding snaps?"

"It's not so bad, Al." Louis replied. "It just looked like they burp and their mouth smokes.

"Yeah, it's probably more humane than transfiguring them in class." Scorpius said as Louis handed him a couple snaps. Albus sighed. Somehow their idea of fun was kidnapping the transfiguration toads for a field trip. They had successfully kidnapped sixteen toads.

"I bet Professor Dew flips."

"I bet she doesn't even notice." Scorpius said. "And it's not like toads are in short supply anywhere."

"Then why take hers? We could've asked Professor Longbottom if we could borrow some of his. I still can't believe he breeds his pets for generations." Albus sat underneath the tree they were by. After a little more rigging, Scorpius had the toads lined up as best he could. He backed up and nodded his approval over the lineup. Louis laughed and handed some snaps to Albus. "How do we make them snap in the toads?"

"We'll get them to sing and aim." Louis said. "It always freaked out my sister, too."

"I'm not freaked out." Albus whispered as he stood up and joined his mates in exploding the toads. As it turns out, Toad Snaps wasn't as easy as Scorpius and Albus thought. Once the first few toads were snapped, the remaining toads required chasing and great aiming. After thirty minutes of chaos and sixteen missing toads later, the trio found themselves back under the tree, out of breath. Louis had won the game by a large meter.

"Only because you have prior experience." Scorpius chuckled. He decided Al's stomach was more a comfy pillow than the tree roots. Albus rolled his eyes before he noticed they had a visitor. It was a first year Slytherin girl. A tiny framed girl with long chocolate hair.

"Hey, Scorpius." she said as she waved shyly.

"Um, Laura, what's up?" Scorpius asked, not bothering to sit up. Louis and Albus looked on in curiosity.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Laura asked, "We are first cousins after all."

"Sure. Mates, this is Laura Derrick. Laura, this is Albus Potter and Louis Weasley." Scorpius answered.

"I'm pleased to meet you." Laura looked over all three boys before her eyes settled on Louis. "You're beautiful, you know. Even more so than your sisters." Laura said softly. Louis snorted.

"A boy shouldn't be considered beautiful."

"But you are." Albus stated. "It may just be the Veela in you, but you definitely surpass most of the girls in school."

"Even me?" Laura asked. Her eyes glimmered as they fell back on Albus. The brunette Gryffindor swallowed a mouthful of spit as he blushed.

"Yeah, Lil Sev. Is my cousin sexier than your cousin?" Scorpius poked Albus in the ribs. "I mean, Louis is quite sexy."

"He's my male cousin, Scorp." Albus glared at his best mate before looking back at their company. Louis giggled and watched Albus' play of emotions on his face. He didn't know how to answer.

"I won't take offense, Al."

"I think you're beautiful." Albus admitted, red as a lobster. Laura smiled sweetly and swayed in place.

"Would you like to walk with me?" Laura asked.

"Um… S-sure. Um, give me a moment?" Albus asked. He sat up quickly and pushed Scorpius over toward Louis. "Is it cool with you guys?" Scorpius pouted but shrugged.

"I don't really mind. But what would James say if he knew you were walking a Slytherin lady around?" Louis whispered. "I mean, he's still fuming over Scorp."

"I don't give a damn what my brother thinks." Albus frowned at the thought of his brother. Louis apologized for bringing him up. "I'll just meet y'all later." With that final statement, Albus was led away by a chocolate-haired lass as Scorpius and Louis stared back in wonder.


	14. Chapter 14

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 14: The 3 R's.

It had been two weeks. Two weeks! And things weren't going so well with a particular blond Gryffindor. It wasn't like things were _bad_. But they definitely weren't good either. Scorpius sighed heavily as he leaned against a tree out near the Black Lake.

The first issue he was having was that he was by himself. No best mate to annoy and no best mate's best cousin to annoy. Albus had been swept away by the she-demon herself. She dragged him everywhere. Gave him disapproving looks if he tried to run away. Scorpius thought it was cute and funny at first how Albus turned into a tomato while holding her hand in the hallways, but now.. not so much. Now the constant flirting from her end was getting annoying. It was like Albus barely contributed, but when Scorpius could grab Albus for a second of his time, the brunette assured him that he really liked Laura. "But he doesn't look happy."

The second issue was his petite blond mate seemed to be having personal issues that he wouldn't talk about. Scorpius knows he won't because he attempted to confront Louis about his odd behavior (eyeing the corridors suspiciously, and making odd comments to run away from the group quickly). Of course, trying to get a Veela to tell you something they don't want to is just nearly impossible. Louis just needed to bat his eyelashes and gave a pouty lip that just accused "you think _I'm_ lying?" Scorpius' attempt folded like a house of cards. But something was definitely up. Louis is just too odd and outgoing to change into this sudden subdued person.

Scorpius sighed again. It was past curfew. But there really was no point in going to the common room. Albus would still be missing with Laura, risking his own after-hour outing. And Louis would be hanging out with Teddy and Winston. No better time to start getting in trouble on his own. Or so this particular blond Gryffindor would hope. How was Scorpius supposed to know that James had been watching him the entire time from a distance? And that the distance between them was becoming shorter?

* * *

 

Louis was currently not in the safety of Teddy and Winston's company. Instead he found himself hiding in a cupboard in an empty classroom. He had been on his way to the tower after dinner when he found himself being chased by some sixth year Hufflepuff. He took cover here but couldn't find a good time to slip out. Turned out this was a really popular empty classroom, because by the time the coast was clear, the room was occupied. Louis didn't know to slip out without it being awkward.

Even weirder was the fact that it was Laura and Albus. Louis shook his head. Why would first years need to hide it empty classrooms?

The answer was simple according to Laura: _We need to review the rules of our relationship_.

* * *

 

"What do you mean review? I thought you made the rules crystal clear the first time." Albus whispered; he was slightly cranky at the thought that Laura didn't think he was following her rules to the T. In fact, he had basically given up his entire social life just to stay within the guideline of her rules.

"I mean, you're not convincing at all."

"I'm eleven. I'm not supposed to like girls at all yet. Why do I have to care about looking overjoyed at holding your hand? It's kinda gross." Albus stuck his tongue out. Laura glared at the brunette and huffed.

"Gross? Gross is pretending to be your girlfriend!"

"Yeah, well why did you have to pick me? Wouldn't it have been easier to pick Louis? That way you'd at least enjoy your fake boyfriend's company?" Albus asked. Laura rolled her eyes.

"I don't seem many Gryffindor boys who are nice enough to pretend this for some girl he just met. And for a cause he doesn't seem to care for."

"True. I don't see why anyone would want to get my brother's attention. He's a butthead."

"Not true."

"So true. He is. I live with him."

"Only to you, probably." The two stood at edge for a few moments glaring. Inside the cupboard Louis was soaking up the gossip with a guilty conscience. There was some sly house drama going on. "Your brother is handsome and from a well family. His grades are adequate, he's great at sports, and he has a wonderful social life. If I can get him to notice me now, by the time I'm of age, I might be able to get a proposal before my family decides on some horrible, unattractive Slytherin."

"I don't understand." Albus replied. "You're a Slytherin, why wouldn't you want to marry one?"

"Unfortunately, cowards aren't my type. We may be intelligent and can work our way through anything. But bravery doesn't run in the veins." Laura walked around a desk and looked out the window. The sky was dark outside, and the Black Lake glimmered eerily. Laura frowned. It was a little too eerie looking.

"That's not totally true; Professor Snape was brave during the war. My dad testified for his involvement. He must be brave to have been a spy."

"Or very intelligent. Or had a strong enough reason to do what he did." Laura was sidetracked. She was scanning the darkness trying to discover the cause to the discomfort in her belly. "Albus.. can you come over here?"

"Hmm?" Albus walked from his spot and looked at Laura. "What's up?"

"What's that odd moving shape?" Laura asked as she pointed out the window. Albus looked, seeing the scrambling forms in the darkness. It didn't take him a second to recognize the form of two fighting figures.

"Someone's fighting."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"Shouldn't we find out?" Laura asked, the feeling in her stomach tightening.

"Yeah, but you stay here. I don't want to _endanger_ my _girlfriend_." Albus stuck his tongue out again and walked ran out of the classroom. Laura frowned.

"How uncool, Gryffindor." Laura looked back out the window, trying to determine who the two figures were. "I feel like it's going to be someone I know."

"Ahem."

"?" Laura, startled, turned quickly to find Louis looking at her from across the room. "How long were you standing there!"

"Standing? About a second. I listened to everything else in the cupboard." Louis brushed his robes off and smirked. Laura smiled weakly. "Interesting story, too. I think we should... _review the rules of your relationship_."


	15. Chapter 15

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 15: The Next Morning

Albus didn't know how to feel the following morning. Unfortunately, Hogwarts never loses its touch in the rumor mill department. Currently the entire school was in a buzz over the fight that he attempted to break up last night. Some students hushed and stared when he walked by while others openly whispered their thoughts.

_"I heard that it was his best friend."_

_"Really? His brother?"_

_"Like father like son."_

The brunette Gryffindor clenched his teeth. How could they just gossip like this when someone's been hurt?

"Al."

Albus turned to find his bushy haired cousin giving him a weak smile. "Oh, Rosie, it's you."

"Is Scorp okay?"

"He's locked himself in the room. I think he's scared of how the professors will handle the fight issue. He's not really speaking with anyone."

"Well, James did end up in the hospital wing. If you hadn't found him, he would've-"

"Don't talk like that."

"Albus, he used a dark curse."

"Scorp didn't mean to." Albus lowered his tone to a whisper. "James jumped him. He overreacted." He kicked at an invisible rock and shoved his hands into his pockets. _His best mate really did just overreact. But he was still in trouble. But how much trouble?_ Rose nodded and sighed. She pulled her cousin along toward Hagrid's.

"Let's take our minds off it for a while. There's nothing we can do about it anyway. And… I hear the Headmistress is calling in the Malfoys and your parents." Rose replied. Albus rolled his eyes. Of course the school would call his parents. Anything that dealt with the Potter children seemed to be dramatized further by calling in the legendary Harry Potter himself.

"Won't the school enjoy talking about that, too?"

"Most likely." Rose shrugged off the topic before linking her arms with her cousin as they walked. The sky was a gloomy day for a gloomy day of news. But Hagrid's hut smoked merrily in the distance. "What I want to know is why you were with Laura Derrick last night before the fight."

"How did you know about that?"

"She talks; word gets around the female population."

"We were just talking."

"You like her, hm?" Albus shrugged. "That's all fine and such, but you can't keep Scorpius and Louis hanging like you have. They've been a bit upset." Albus nodded in agreement. He had been missing them terribly. But Laura had made it clear that she wanted him to seem more interested in their "relationship" than his friendships. It really sucked and he was slightly sore about the subject.

"She told me last night that I could hang out with them more. She said our relationship would become stuffy if we didn't have our own time to ourselves." Albus replied. This was true and slightly odd. She had told him this before they had reached the hospital wing. Maybe because the boy she was actually interested in was injured?

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah."

"When's the last time you visited your godfather?"

"Uhh.."

"I thought so. He's been asking about you when I visit." Rose stated as they stood outside of Hagrid's. Albus gave a small smile before he knocked on the door. It had been awhile…

* * *

 

Louis nibbled on his nails against his better judgment. When he had confronted Laura last night, he had envisioned a plan to save Albus from her grips. He didn't foresee James being hurt so badly… by Scorpius. "Stupid, James." Currently he was pacing outside of the hospital wing. Laura was inside, making up some sob story about how she felt she needed to assist him because her boyfriend's best mate was responsible for his discomfort. She certainly didn't waste any time using his misfortune to her favor. From what he could hear, James didn't know what to think of her attention. And he wasn't refusing it.

"How long is she going to be in there?" Fred asked; he was leaning casually against the wall near Louis. "She's quite annoying for a girl." Fred and Frank had both been patiently waiting their turn to visit James. When Albus had seen him earlier, he mentioned some scarring, so everyone was a little of edge on how to react. "Think it's bad?"

"I bet it gets him more girls." Frank mused.

"I hope he doesn't go after Scorpius again." Louis whispered. Fred frowned and crossed his arms.

"I really thought I knew Scorpius. I figured him better than this. To use dark magic against James was way out of line." Louis wanted to defend Scorpius, but he didn't know how to without sounding wrong. It was hard to defend the blond's actions. His friend was in trouble. Before Louis could come up with anything, Laura reappeared from the doors with tear-stained cheeks. "Finally!" Fred exclaimed and pushed his way through the doors with Frank on his heels. Louis was left alone with Laura.

"How's he look?" Louis asked.

"He's g-good. It took Madam Pomfrey a little while to figure out which curse Scorpius used on him, so, there's some scarring to his face and neck. He lost a lot of blood, so he's still pale and a bit weak.." Laura covered her face and began crying.

"You must really like him."

"I do. The scars scare me but I still really like him. He's still James Potter." Laura whispered. Louis rubbed her should a bit, trying to awkwardly comfort her. She sniffled and wiped away some of her running tears. "You said last night that you'd get me together with him."

"Yeah, in return, you'll slowly release Albus. And you'll not keep him from his friends."

"No, I can't let him see Scorpius after this. How will that look? Him continuing a friendship with the boy who almost killed his brother?"

"Scorpius is your cousin. How is that any different than Albus being his friend?"

"Because it is! I didn't choose him to be my cousin. And I'm making up for my actions by helping James. Albus can see you, but not Scorpius. I won't allow it. Not while he's helping me achieve my goal."

"Our terms were decided upon last night." Louis glared at the Slytherin.

"That was before my cousin decided to attack James." Laura glared back. "No. It's not happening. If you don't help me, I'll just keep to the original terms I made with Albus. I don't need your help. Your assistance only benefits me by helping me achieve my goal faster."

"You will be sorry that you've chose this path."

"There's nothing you can do to keep me from being with James!" Laura looked hysterical. Outside rain starting falling and the sound of it echoed around them. The gloomy day was getting darker by the minute.

"No, probably not. But there are complications that can.. arise." Louis threatened. He watched the anger in Laura's eyes form before she stormed away. He sighed and listened to the rain. Was an angry Slytherin really what he needed on top of his personal problems? He shook his head and paced the hall again, waiting for his turn to talk with James. It was only moments later after the thunder began to rumble that he changed his mind and went chasing after Laura.

* * *

 

Headmistress McGonagall frowned at the two freshly written letters lying on her desk. It wasn't often she required the presence of the parents for a school fight. But for one student to use a dark curse to seriously injure another… it required the parents' input on the punishment. Furthermore, it wasn't just any students. It was a Potter and a Malfoy. Both sets of parents would still be up here fuming if she hadn't sent for them. Even if she believed the student didn't attack the other on purpose. Her hands were tied. The actions and results were too serious. Scorpius Malfoy might have to be expelled.


	16. Chapter 16

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 16: The Parents Visit

Harry Potter.

Draco Malfoy.

Minerva McGonagall couldn't recall what forces on earth possessed her to invite the two alumni back… together… at the same time… and in the same room. Currently the air in her office felt so thick that she was sure she could cut the tension with her wand. Strangely enough, most of the glaring seemed to be radiating off the wives. She considered requesting their absence next time. Draco merely looked sternly at her while Harry was sneaking nervous glances at his wife.

McGonagall cleared her throat as a start to the unfortunate conversation. "To avoid complications I've invited you to help settle this issue." she announced. Her speaking didn't seem to settle the tension at all. In fact, the air felt like it had been lit on fire.

"I believe Mr. Malfoy should be expelled." Ginny burst out. Astoria looked at her in shock and held her hand up in objection.

"Excuse me! We have yet to be given the known facts!" Astoria hissed. Draco gave her a look that made her lower the venom in her tone. "Scorpius is a good boy, he'd never hurt someone intentionally."

"As it stands neither student has spoken up their sides of the story. For a fact, I do know that Scorpius Malfoy conjured a dark spell known as Sectumsempra," Draco grimaced at the mention of the spell, "that seriously injured James Potter. Both students were out after hours and near the Black Lake. Neither has offered an explanation as to why they were both where they were. It was Albus Potter who happened upon the scene. He helped Scorpius carry James to the Hospital Wing where they waited for my arrival. He, too, has not explained why he was out after hours."

"He must have attacked my boy out of anger! Why else would anyone use a spell so evil?" Ginny demanded, not noticing the guilty look on Harry's face. Draco's composure didn't waiver as he cleared his throat.

All eyes turned toward the blond. "Because of my personal history with Sectumsempra, I thought it best to learn the spell and its cure. I taught my son particular spells for self-defense which included this spell. He would never use them otherwise." Astoria nodded in agreement.

"Self-defense? James didn't cast a spell at Scorpius to defend himself against!" Ginny hissed. Astoria returned her glare back at the redhead. Draco pretended he didn't hear her and kept his sights on McGonagall.

"Yet both of your sons were out wandering after hours, too! Why would they unless they had intentions of harming Scorpius?" Astoria asked, ignoring her husband's look of disapproval. She was making a scene that was unMalfoyish. The Headmistress looked toward Harry Potter, hoping he would provide his input on the situation as he hadn't spoken up yet.

"Mr. Potter? Your thoughts?" McGonagall asked.

The brunette answered with a weak smile. "I-uh.. I believe I would… love to have a chat with Malfoy. Draco Malfoy-not Scorpius. Privately." Harry muttered. Ginny bore her eyes into him trying to read his outrageous thoughts, while Astoria and Draco looked at him like he was nuts. Headmistress McGonagall nodded without thinking the idea through. Worse come worse, she'd have another Potter or Malfoy sitting in her Hospital Wing.

The two men shuffle towards the doorway. Harry tried to give his wife a reassuring smile but her confused glare shot it down. Of course, as a mother she wanted the boy who harmed her child to be punished to the maximum. Harry on the other hand...

"Malfoy." Harry greeted once the door closed behind them.

"Potter. What exactly are we chatting about? Seems highly unlikely the chances of Scorpius not getting expelled for attacking The-Chosen-One's son. Especially since the Headmistress is a Gryffindor herself." Draco spoke openly with dislike. Harry again gave a nervous smile.

"I don't want your son expelled."

"You don't, do you?"

"No. I know Scorpius used Dark Magic. And I know James will have to live with scars because of the delay of the spell's identification. But I also know my son. I willing to bet he antagonized Scorpius." Harry admitted.

"Why miss out on your chance of ruining the life of another Malfoy?" Draco asked with a sneer. Harry ran his hand through his messy hair in frustration.

"I didn't intentionally ruin anyone's life. Your father was a known Death Eater. I merely gave the court the facts." Harry replied, knowing Draco was hinting at his testimony against his father after Voldemort's defeat. "Unlike him, you and your mother didn't really have a choice about being involved with the Death Eaters."

"Really. Pity then, Potter? You felt sorry for my mother and me? Or was it guilt? Because you knew that by sending my father away to prison our lives would be chaotic?"

"Actually," Harry paused looking into the steel gray eyes of his old rival, "it was gratitude that I felt when I testified for you." Draco raised his eyebrow in silent question. _'Gratitude?'_ "You knew it was me. You knew it was me and you _lied_ to Bellatrix."

"I didn't-"

"You did. I saw the recognition in your eyes. Plus, you practically gave me your wand. You may not know it but you are a good person."

"You're mental." Draco said after a few moments of unsettling silence. "I didn't do that for you. I did it for me. I did it because the Dark L-"

"Tom Riddle." Harry interrupted. Draco frowned.

"Pardon me?"

"His name is Tom Riddle. Don't honor him by referring to him by one of his demented title."

"-Tom Riddle... He was a monster and I knew that if anyone could get rid of him, it was you. I needed you to live to kill him so that my family would survive. I never was a good person. I am selfish."

"That's typical. So what if you were being selfish. You still gave me a chance because you believed in me... or at least you believed I was the Chosen One. And being a selfish prat doesn't make you a bad person. Scorpius is proof that you're good," Harry continued, "in some ways." Harry smirked at Draco's glare.

"So, you're telling me that you're not here to expel my son like you tried to do our _entire_ schooling history because I'm a good person?" This brought about a laugh from Draco. Harry flushed. It did sound silly considering their history.

"Yeah, I guess so. Sure you used to be a giant prat. People change."

"No, people don't change. Their interest do. You must have some ulterior motive."

"You're right. What was I thinking? You're still a giant prat."

"And you're still a spoiled Golden Boy, Potty."

Harry Potter glared at the blond before he smirked and rolled his eyes. Draco crossed his arms and huffed. Some things were never going to change. Harry shook his head and pushed the door back open to the office. "After you, Ferret-Face."

"Acting like a servant, Scarhead? Must've hurt, that famed ego of yours popping."

"Oh shut up, Malfoy."

* * *

 

McGonagall would never know how to tell anyone that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy worked out a problem by themselves like adults. No one would ever believe it. Unfortunately the same couldn't have been said about their wives...

* * *

 

Professor Snape had been spending his time marking second year papers when a knock sounded on his office door. "Enter." The door slid openly slowly and Harry Potter slipped inside without a word. Snape looked up and grimaced. "I thought I head crowds cheering upstairs."

"Lovely to see you, too, Severus." Harry ignored the malice radiating off the older wizard and took a seat in front of Snape's desk. He appeared perfectly at home in the drab office which seemed to _ruffle Snape's feathers_ further.

"Insolent brat. Why must you continue to pester me?" Snape threw down the papers he had in hand. The amount of red on them seemed to catch Harry's attention. The Gryffindor contained his amusement and prayed for the students that Snape taught. Not even helping rid the world of a dark wizard and having his name restored improved this man's personality.

"I still want to be your friend. I've written you many times on this matter."

"Yes, you've provided plenty of kindling for my fire. I, however, am in no need of friends."

"You shouldn't close yourself off like this. The war has been over for years. You can live your life as you like." Harry replied. He had made it his personal mission to help Severus Snape leave his depression. He hoped that a face to face confrontation would help the man he had come to respect. The Slytherin merely frowned and got up from his desk. He paced towards the mantle and looked into the flames.

There was a long pause of silence. Harry stared at Snape's back willing the man to respond. After what seemed like forever Snape sighed. "I have no life worth living." Snape admitted softly.

"That's not true."

"It is. The war might be over, but your mother is still dead because of me." Harry bit his bottom lip and remained silent. He was still in awe that Snape could remain in love with his mother for so long. He was also sadden that he still felt guilty over the circumstances of her death.

"You were not the one to kill her. You attempted to keep my parents safe. You committed your entire life to keeping her child safe. My mum has grandchildren because of your bravery."

Another long span of silence passed between them. "If she had chose me instead of that damned Potter, they would've been my grandchildren." Another life long regret. Snape felt his stomach turn. He could never look back onto his past without regrets. _How is it that he was allowed to live while Lily wasn't?_

"As fate would have it, you may not be a father or grandfather- but you are the one here to see Lily's children live and grow-"

"I request that you leave now." Snape turned and looked at Harry in the eyes. Sadness dwelled in both their stares.

"You don't have to share blood to be family. I know this better than anyone." Harry stated, he had yet to move a muscle. He didn't want to leave the conversation as it was.

"Only because I killed yours."

"I'll say it again. You didn't kill my family." Harry hardened his stare at Snape. "It was Tom Riddle. A psychopathic murderer." Snape looked away from Harry's green eyes. "Severus, I want you to be a part of my life. To be a part of my family's life. I want to be your friend."

"As you constantly remind me."

"I'll continue to remind you." A promise.

"I do recall I asked you to leave." Harry stood and nodded this time. "Finally, the smell of fame is making me nauseous." Snape's snarky remark made Harry smile to himself. At least they'll always have their banter.

"Goodbye, Severus. Stop burning my letters or I'll start sending Howlers."

* * *

 

"Honey, how are you feeling?" Ginny asked as she attempted to fluff James' pillow. Her son yawned and nodded.

"I'm good now. It really wasn't that bad." James said nonchalantly. Ginny frowned as she walked around his bed back to the chair she had pulled up moments before.

"The Malfoy used a dark curse on you. The Sectumsempra could've killed you!" This outburst made James chuckle a bit. Ginny was taken aback. There's was nothing funny about almost dying.

"Mum, I don't think he meant to do it."

"You don't think he _meant to?_ How could he not have meant to! He spoke the incantation! He pointed his wand at you and cast the curse-"

"Ginny."

All eyes turned toward Harry as he entered the room. He knew his wife was highly upset, but he knew she was biased. Her baby had been hurt after all.

"Harry, James is saying-"

"I know what he's saying, Darling. I know he's acting like this is nothing because he feels guilty." Harry turned his gaze to his eldest son. "You jumped the young Malfoy."

James lowered his gaze to the bed sheets and nodded grimly. "Yeah, I scared him really bad. It was dark and he didn't even know it was me." James paused and took a chance to look his parents in the eyes. "It all happened so fast. He cast the spell and then tackled me without a second thought. It really was a blur of pain to me."

"Scorpius was raised as a Malfoy. He was taught how to protect himself. Even though his family has come along way since the war, they still have a lot of ill will projected towards them." Harry stated.

"I'm sorry, dad." James was sincere. "I'm really sorry."

"I know."

"Madam Pomfrey says they'll be scars." James admitted sadly. Ginny looked up in alarm.

"Scars? But your face!" Ginny began crying. Harry bent and kissed her on the cheek before he sat down on the edge of the bed. James looked up at him.

"I know. I cast the same curse on Draco many years ago. I know he still holds those scars."

"So, this is like genetic karma?" James teased, trying the lighten the mood. He was really upset over his face been scarred, but it was his own fault. Harry smiled and ruffled his son's hair.

"Scars can be hard to live with, but they don't have to define your life if you so chose."

"Ah, the wise words of The-Boy-Who-Lived." James laughed, his father joined in. Ginny was still sniffling beside them. Harry turned and pulled her into a side hug. James smiled at her and tried to cheer her up. "Mum, I'll be fine. My reps going to go up with my rugged handsomeness."

"I guess that's true." Ginny wiped away some of her tears. "Some scars have charm to them." She let her eyes fall on the scar on her husband's forehead. The scars didn't define the person but they definitely became a part of them.

"That's what Laura said." James replied without thinking.

"Who's Laura?" Ginny and Harry asked at the same time. James cringed. He was almost certain that Albus hadn't intended to tell their parents yet... but... oh well.

"Oh... um, Albus' girlfriend. Some Slytherin."

"A Slytherin?" Harry asked, sounding impressed and slightly shocked.

The topic helped Ginny think of something besides James scar though. "A girlfriend already? My little baby is growing up!" The three of them remained there awhile chatting away about their family. Ginny updated James on his sister Lily's activities at the house and he told them about his classes. He decided not to mention his continuous hatred towards Scorpius and anger towards his brother. He really did feel guilty for what had happened. He had only intended on scaring the boy silly. He never meant to hurt him, which he was sure he did. How could Scorpius not emotionally be upset for cursing someone? Somehow, he promised to himself, he'd try to apologize to the blond boy.


	17. Chapter 17

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 17: That One Night

"Al, what are you doing?" Scorpius asked. He was slightly shocked and confused about why his best mate was climbing into his bed at… _two in the morning!_

It was hard to see, but Scorpius thought he could see Albus giving off his goofy grin. "I wanted to see how you're holding up. I couldn't sleep. And you've been really hard to catch during the daytime lately." Albus answered. He scrambled to get under the duvet while Scorpius just stared. "Hello. Make room."

"Oh! Sorry." Scorpius scooted over. After a few moments Albus settled in, gracing Scorpius with his _extremely_ cold feet. "OH MY GOD! How are they _that cold!_ "

"Shh! You'll wake up the others!" Albus laughed as he struggled to warm his feet up against the squirming blond. "It's a long and cold journey to your bed in the dark."

"Unlikely. I think you stuck them in an ice bath first." The two boys continued to wrestle until Scorpius lost his will and gave up their battle.

"…so yeah, about you keeping to yourself… are you okay?" Albus asked.

Scorpius shrugged and looked over at Albus. "I've never hurt someone like that before. It was like I wasn't me. When I realized what I did, it was terrifying." The blond covered his eyes with his arms so that he didn't have to confront the sadness in Albus' green eyes.

"I'm sorry my brother put you through that."

"Yeah… well…" Scorpius sighed. How long was he going to stay depressed with himself? He knew Albus just wanted to help him get over the whole incident. He peeked over at his friend and smirked. The least he could do was pretend he wasn't upset. "It's not nearly as bad as you're _freezing_ cold feet!" Scorpius teased as he launched at Albus. A new war begun, this time tickling was the weapon at hand. The brunette smiled as he tried to hide under the covers while Scorpius squished him while climbing on top.

"You prat!" Albus elbowed Scorpius blindly and was rewarded with Scorpius latching onto his left foot which had slipped out of the blankets. Albus howled in laughter as the blond relentlessly tickled him silly.

"…guys, seriously?" a sleepy Louis groaned out from beyond his bed. "It's like- OH MY GOD!"

"...?"

"!..."

Everyone in the room was alerted by Louis' scream. A 'thud' was heard, the sound of Louis falling out of his bed. Scorpius and Albus looked at each other in confusion as they heard William and Wubben pulling back their bed curtains.

"Are you, okay?" Albus asked, scrambling to pull back the curtains around Scorpius' bed. William cast a lumos charm allowing everyone to see what was happening. Louis was disheveled on the floor with his sheets twisted around his legs. On the other side of his bed, Chloe Pendrake, one of the second year Gryffindors, stood staring love struck at Louis.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Louis shouted. Wubben was out of bed quickly helping the petite boy up. All eyes were staring at the girl.

"I love you, Louis. I had to see you!" Chloe cried. Everyone allowed the confusion to soak in for a moment. Louis flushed and the anger showed on his face.

"You need to leave. _Now._ "

"But! We're supposed to be together! Louis, all I can think about is you! Your hair, your eyes! I see you in my dreams!"

"Okay, this is freaky and crazy." Wubben muttered. "I'm getting Professor Longbottom." The tall boy ran out of the room. The air was tense. It was like Chloe didn't realize that what she was doing was creepy and wrong. Louis didn't feel comfortable standing there alone so he scooted toward Scorpius and Albus. Chloe's eyes never left him.

"How long have you been here?" Scorpius asked. Louis kept facing toward her, afraid that she might attack him if he were to turn around as he continued his path toward his mates.

"I don't know. Watching his angelic face sleep makes me lose track of time." Chloe replied in a dreamy voice. Louis felt violated. She'd been watching him sleep, too?

"Geez, some wizards we are. I didn't even hear her come in." Albus whispered. Scorpius nodded. He, too, should have at least heard the door opening and closing. It wasn't too much longer until Wubben came back dragging Neville Longbottom with him. The professor was in his maroon pajamas and looked bleary-eyed.

"Miss Pendrake?"

Neville's voice had managed to alert Chloe. "Professor?" It was like she had awoken from a dream. She looked around confused for a second before her eyes turned back on Louis. "Weird… I had a dream about you, Louis. How did I end up here?"

"I think it's best if you go back to your room, Miss Pendrake. We'll talk about this in the morning." Neville said. Chloe nodded and left the room looking embarrassed. Everyone looked at the professor. He didn't look like he knew what to do.

"Mr. Abercrombie said she was here to confess her love to you, Mr. Weasley?" Neville asked. Louis nodded.

"She was also watching him sleep. She admitted to doing so." Scorpius said, not letting Louis dismiss this incident like it was nothing. "I believe I'm not alone when I say we all feel violated by the invasion of privacy."

"Yeah, it's really creepy waking up and finding someone standing above you." Louis said in a soft voice. Neville nodded.

"Okay, I'll take this matter to Headmistress McGonagall first thing this morning." Neville rubbed at his eyes and yawned. "You should get some sleep."

"Yes, sir." All the boys voiced at once.

"Okay.. so, let's see who actually falls asleep now." William mumbled to himself as he closed the curtains around his bed again. Wubben clapped Louis on the shoulder before he headed back to bed.

"Um, I guess…" Albus looked unsure. It was one thing to sneak into your best mate's bed while they were supposed to be sleeping, but now… it was sorta awkward.

"Just get in the bed." Scorpius said as he rolled his eyes.

"Whoa, you reading minds now?"

"There's no need. You're predictable." Albus pouted as his friend shoved him toward the crimson and gold bed. Louis timidly walked up to them and tugged at Scorpius' sleeve.

"Um, Scorpius?" Louis asked, looking at his blond friend with puppy eyes. "May I join you, too?" Both Albus and Scorpius looked at Louis' pouty face and couldn't bring themselves to deny the poor boy.

"Sure. But it's going to be cramped."

"Thank you!"

Once they were all settled again for the night Scorpius sighed heavily with a small smile. He really did appreciate his friends. It was nice that they could rely on each other. No matter how odd a situation. Or how cramped his bed got. "Goodnight."


	18. Chapter 18

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 18: Another Great Time in the Great Hall

Morning came faster than any one of the first year Gryffindor boys cared for. All of them had bags under their eyes from lack of sleep. William groaned as he swayed in front of the mirror while he brushed his teeth.

"Ah cuh ent seep laz nide. Nod ad ahl. Ah wuz 'fray ah'd way up to uh ehvul schpirid abuh me." William said, foaming toothpaste from his mouth. Louis rolled his eyes.

"Try that again in English." Louis replied. William sighed and spat out his blob of minty freshness and laughed.

"An evil spirit. I was afraid I'd wake up to one."

"And Chloe isn't an evil spirit?" Wubben asked from their room, he was missing one of his socks and searching high and low for it. "She's always been a little off, yea? Dreamy like and all."

"She's sweet in a scatter-brained type of way." Louis replied. He didn't dislike the girl, but last night was definitely creepy. He felt he might actually need to talk with Rose about his Veela issue now. He never did finish talking with her before. And he was certain it was the root of this recent issue. That and it seemed like things were getting worse. His train of thought was interrupted by Wubben heavily sighing in defeat.

"I give up.." The lanky boy sat back.

"Really. You're going to wear just one sock today?" Albus asked.

"I'm gonna have to. You haven't seen my sock, hm?"

"Dude, I can't even find my socks. I gave up on wearing them like a week ago." Albus replied; he ruffled up his own messy hair. Scorpius held back a laugh as he crossed the room to retrieve his wand.

"That's because they were washed and folded in my laundry." Scorpius stated.

"…really? So, they are…"

"In my trunk. Where I originally found them." The blond smiled and dug out a pair for his companion. "Next time, don't just fling them across the room."

"Ah. Sorry about that."

* * *

 

Breakfast seemed a little tense. Albus looked down the table. All the Gryffindors were whispering amongst themselves in little groups. Obviously the news about Chloe had spread. Albus groaned. Like all his friends needed was more unwanted attention.

"Hey." Rose greeted as she made herself home at their table. She sat next to Louis. Scorpius and Albus were sitting across from them, waiting for her speech. "So, I talked with Chloe in passing."

"Great, what is she telling people?" Louis asked.

"She's under the impression that you dosed her with a love potion." Rose replied. There was a singular group moan. "I know. I know."

"But Louis doesn't need a love potion. He just needs to bat his eyelashes and a crowd of people will propose to him." Scorpius pointed out. "He looks like one of his sisters… uh, no offense, Lou."

"That's what I'm worried about." Rose pointed out. "Louis, remember what we talked about? I think you may need to talk with one of the professors about the affect you're having on other students. It just seems like it is worse than what your sisters described."

"What's she talking about?" Scorpius asked Louis. The petite boy looked down at his oatmeal and stuck out his bottom lip.

"A Veela has different side effects when they hit puberty." Rose answered for Louis. The Gryffindor allowed her to, he didn't want to explain it to anyone. He'd rather stay in denial as long as possible. If possible. "One of them is that some vulnerable people are affected by a release of pheromones. It sort of mimics a love potion. People become obsessed with the Veela."

"That sucks." A group decision.

"Wait, Louis has hit puberty? We're like eleven!" Albus whispered.

"He obviously has some dominant Veela genes. They tend to hit puberty younger. Dominique and Victoire also had a similar experiences."

"Are there any other side effects?" Albus asked. Rose smiled and nodded.

"There's a range of side effects, but it doesn't look like Louis has exhibited any others. So… I'd rather not say. It really isn't my place." With that, everyone studied Louis with eyes full of pity. Louis ignored them and decided his breakfast was in fact fascinating.

"Guys, guess what!" Alicia announced as she found a seat on the other side of Louis, grabbing everyone's with her beaming smile. The shy Hufflepuff was really coming out of her box.

"Yeah?"

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes has come out with the new Infinite Mobile Battery! My mom just sent me one yesterday!" The Hufflepuff held up her cell phone with glee. Everyone took turns ooing and awing at the magical muggle artefact.

"Uncle George has really outdone himself!" Albus said as he examined the battery in the back of the cell phone. "The Practically Infinite Mobile Battery itself was amazing, but this is just-"

"AMAZING! I KNOW! I don't have to worry about my cell phone dying like a muggle's!" Alicia exclaimed. Even Louis looked on with excitement.

"I'm totally going to owl Uncle George! My last Practically Infinite Mobile Battery is at the end of its line. I actually had to put its battery saving mode on!" Albus dug in his pocket to pull out his lime green cell phone. Scorpius raised one of his Malfoy brows.

"What are these cell phones?" Everyone in the group looked up in surprise. But of course a Malfoy wouldn't be versed in muggle methods of communication.

"It's a muggle way of staying in contact with people you know. Sorta like an electric Patronus Charm." Rose replied. She herself had a glossy purple razor.

"Muggle? Why would you want one of those? And why would Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes be dealing in muggle stuff?" Scorpius asked.

"They're cool!" Louis said, smiling. "Apparently Uncle George is the first person to get a permit to legally create and sell muggle artefacts. And these," he waved at all the cell phones, "are the new awesome."

"Yeah, without these, cell phones would be useless at Hogwarts! There's no electricity to charge them." Rose pointed out. Nobody bothered to digest her input. "Uncle George is so revolutionary!"

"I haven't heard about them before… but all of you have. My parents must have purposely not told me about them." Scorpius frowned. He felt left out.

"You haven't gone to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes yourself?" Albus asked in a soft voice. Scorpius turned to look at him and shook his head slowly. "Seriously?"

"My dad says that it's too dangerous a trip for something so unnecessary. My mom usually goes out to get me gifts, though. I guess she skips over the muggle stuff." The hype about the Infinite Mobile Battery died down. Albus felt a sadness tugging at his insides. Lately, everything sucked. Louis' Veela stuff sucked. Girls always sucked. His pretend girlfriend (who he hadn't seen tail of lately) really sucked, and now Scorpius' parents sucked. Things needed to lighten up. Somehow, things needed to just…

"Scorpius." Albus looked his best mate in the eyes, a ploy bubbling up inside him.

"Yeah?" Everyone gave Albus their full attention.

Albus felt nervous. It was now or never. The rest of breakfast would suck if he didn't put his sudden plan into action. "Scorpius… your mumma's so dumb, when she heard platform 9 3/4 she went looking for shoes."

"…"

Scorpius' mouth hung open. Albus just insulted his mother. In public. He couldn't believe it. And he couldn't believe the giggling that erupted around him. He knew Albus was joking but the tiny bubble of defiance emerged.

"Really?" Scorpius asked; he stood abruptly. This managed to attract a few watchers. "Well, your momma is so hairy she looks like she has Hagrid in a headlock." Albus felt an excitement inside him. Scorpius had taken his bait. He stood up as well and tried his best to look highly offended.

"Your mumma's so hairy her armpits look like Merlin's beard!"

"Oh! No you didn't!" Louis whispered between giggles.

"Your momma's so ugly even a basilisk has to look at her through a mirror!"

"Well, your mumma's so fat her horcruxes are a cake pan and a deep fryer!"

"Your momma's so stupid she brought a flashlight to her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class!"

By now they were shouting at each other at the top of their lungs. Albus felt amazing, especially as he acknowledged the gleam in Scorpius' eyes. Scorpius was having fun, too, even with the insults towards their mothers. He could see their friends enjoying their showdown. Louis was in a fit of giggles. Rose was smirking, Alicia flushed at the awkward, flying insults. And the entire Great Hall was just dumbfounded. Even the professors seemed taken aback.

"Your mumma's so dumb she tries to talk to the people on the tele!"

"That's just retarded! What is a tele?" Scorpius hissed.

"Exactly! Dumb!"

"Your momma's so fat she uses her wand as a chopstick!"

"Your mumma's so ugly she's on page 42 of _Monster Book of Monsters!_ "

"Your momma's so dirtyblooded not even a vampire would tap that!" _Ouch!_ Albus flinched at that one. Scorpius obviously had learned some mean 'yo momma's' with his childhood friends. Nevertheless…

"BOYS! BOYS!" Headmistress McGonagall hurried towards them looking fluttered. "Stop this at once! There's no need to fight!" Albus pouted as he realized their fun was about to be over... They both looked up at her as she stood there looking disapproving. "What do you have to say for yourselves? Mr. Potter?"

Albus ignored the knot in his stomach and looked defiantly at McGonagall. _This is for you, Scorpius._ "Your mumma's so fat they had to enlarge Platform 9 3/4 to a 10."

"OOOOOOoooooooooooooooo!" The Great Hall was in an uproar! Albus Severus Potter just 'Yo Momma' Headmistress McGonagall. She looked ashen and was speechless. Everyone was up and bellowing out their cheers, objections, hoots, and hollers. Scorpius just stood there and looked at Albus like he was crazy. Albus couldn't believe he'd just accomplished that. He felt amazed and shocked. Unfortunately, the last thing Albus felt about that breakfast as he was being jerked from the Great Hall by none other than Severus Snape was dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is by far my favorite chapter. ;) I dare you to insult my mother in wizarding style!


	19. Chapter 19

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 19: Some Moments

Professor Snape's office was disturbingly quiet. So much so that even the brave Gryffindor felt a small tremor run through his system. Albus stood awkwardly near his professor hoping that he would break the silence. But Hogart's 'dungeon bat' merely stood like a statue glaring at the brunette.

Minutes passed.

Almost fifteen.

Then twenty.

Finally, Albus figured that if he didn't turn his attention to Professor Snape and from his shoes he would never leave the dark office. "...sSir?"

"Minerva is one of my closest acquaintances, so I would take the time to think about what comes out next."

"... I um, I was caught up in the moment-"

"The moment? Why exactly were you arguing with your counterpart?"

"I was cheering my best mates up."

"..."

"It-it's hard to explain, bbut Louis and Scorp have been upset. It was just a little fun, I didn't mean it to."

"You didn't mean to."

"Yes, sir." Albus couldn't take his eyes off his less than interesting shoes. He could feel Snape's eyes burning through him. There was no need to actually witness the emotions in them. He was scared to see the anger.

"I'm disappointed." The very small statement was barely audible. Albus went against his gut feelings of not looking at his professor and was confronted with black eyes full of turmoil. They weren't just angry and disappointed, but also sad. He suddenly felt the guilt double.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to."

"I'll apologize. I will." Albus promised. Snape sneered.

"I will be writing your father. He should be pleased. He's been asking me to write." Snape's words were dripping with malice. "Minerva is also a good friend of your fathers. I suspect he'll be just as disappointed."

"You sp-spoke with my father?" Albus was shocked. As far as he could remember his father and Professor Snape never communicated.

"He relishes the intrusion of my privacy."

"Um..."

"Would you like to know the truth to your question you so actively pursue?" Snape asked. He slowly circled around the Gryffindor. Anger still obvious in his demeanor. "Your father didn't name you after me to be the noble Gryffindor. He did it to raise. my. hackles." Albus blinked back tears that he felt building.

"That's not true."

"Oh, isn't it? You wanted the truth. Now you have it."

As the last of Snape's words were spoken his office took a moment to fall back into the disturbing silence. Albus stood there, trembling, as he tried to find truth in Snape's eyes. Unreadable now beyond anger. He realized he was holding his breath. He was crying. The black eyes of Snape watched Albus bolt from the room without hesitation. He had successfully crushed the hopes of the young boy. Yet Snape didn't dwell on that fact. He just basked in the feeling of fury running through his veins. The fury quickly transformed into annoyance as a cough sounded from behind him.

"My boy."

"I should have known you wouldn't miss a chance to snoop." Snape redirected his glare toward the lonely-looking potions still life painting. Leaning against the painted wooden table was Albus Dumbledore. Even as a painting his blue eyes still managed to twinkle as his painted brain meddled.

"Why not tell the boy the truth?"

"I did tell him the truth, you old fool." Snape made to leave, whipping his robes behind him.

"Why must you always hide the best parts of yourself?" Albus asked, his haunting words reaching the ears of the retreating Potions Master.

* * *

 

Louis needed to talk with someone about his problem. Even though he knew he should run straight to Rosie, he just couldn't bring himself to spill his problems to a girl. He was fooling himself. He loved his personal connections with the girls. He loved helping them with their issues and trying to be the best friend he could. He just couldn't spill his guts about this subject back to them. He needed someone he trusted. Someone who would understand. This very train of thought was what led he back to his current audience: Teddy Lupin.

Unfortunately his sister Victorie was presently occupying his lap. And lips.

Louis grounded his teeth as he attempted to wait out the snog. But watching his older sister snog his almost brother-in-law was disconcerting. So the petite blond took it upon himself to cough rather loudly.

Victorie merely looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Teddy on the other hand turned bright red and almost knocked his girlfriend off his lap again. Louis snickered. He'd have to tease Teddy later about how his haired transitioned through many shades of color when embarrassed. It ended up a deep shade of purple, short and curly.

"Go away, Louis." Victorie said as she flipped her silvery wavy hair over his shoulder. Her bright eyes studied her brother momentarily before she huffed. "Fine. Just be quick about it. Please return my boyfriend unharmed." She was graceful as she exited the dorm room. She was always beautiful and graceful. Louis smiled. He didn't know how but his sister obviously knew why he was here. Intuition maybe?

Teddy managed to convert his hair back to his typical amber hue before gracing Louis with a warm smile. "What's on your mind? I heard about your unexpected visitor last night."

"Yes, people suck." Louis replied as he perched himself on Winston's bed. The handsome boy wouldn't mind. "I need help. It's getting worse."

"Ah. I remember when Victorie went through her shimmering stage."

"Shimmering?"

"Yeah, it's what your sister's called the Veela adolescence. I guess it's a transition phase into your adulthood."

"Oh." Louis suddenly felt uncomfortable. He still wasn't so sure he was ready to accept his issue. Though he was here already. Might as well take his leap. "Is there anything I can do to stop people from jumping me?"

"There's not a lot you can do until you learn to control yourself. You don't realize it, but your body is sending out pheromones like crazy." Teddy averted his gaze from Louis' blush. "It tends to be worse at night when you have less control. As for doing something about it. The only thing Victorie found that helped was finding a target to focus on."

"A target? You mean she purposely bent someone's will?" Louis asked, shocked. Teddy shook his head.

"No, she didn't bend his will. He agreed to help her through the issue beforehand. I agreed, that is."

"Oh!" Louis internalized his thoughts for a moment. A target of his affections. He didn't have that. Yes, he had a sorta crush, but the circumstances weren't in his favor. Plus, he was eleven! He didn't want to date someone. He had too many other important things to do. "Do you have to kiss or stuff?"

"Actually, no. All you need to do is focus your thoughts on this someone. Yeah, your target would have to struggle with impulse issues. But it works. As long as you're unavailable in the heart you're unavailable altogether."

"So I could pretend to like Albus or Scorpius and be fine?"

"Well... you need to be careful. You don't realize it, but your signals are very strong. When you do figure out who you'll like, they'll intensify. It's hard to handle."

"But you seem to handle it fine."

"Yeah, but Louis..." Teddy patted the spot on his bed beside him. Louis walked over and joined him. He was beginning to feel comfortable talking with Teddy. He really did seem to know a lot about his issue. And it was nice to talk with another male about it. "Louis, you're pheromones are stronger than your sisters. I mean, truthfully, they affect even me. If I hadn't already been desensitized to your sister's shimmering stage, I might have responded like Miss Pendrake. It's embarrassing for me to admit that." Louis suddenly felt ill at ease. Even Teddy? Teddy who was dating a Veela?

"I'm sorry."

"Hey." Teddy pulled on Louis' braided hair. "It's not your fault. It's just normal for you. Come on, when we get older and stuff we'll laugh about this constantly."

"Okay. Just do me a favor."

"Yeah?"

"Don't let James take a picture of me on his cellphone if I get into any compromising situations." The two chuckled over the shared joke. Teddy still hadn't been able to erase that embarrassing video off of James' phone. Louis smiled internally. He had to talk to some of his friends. Certainly one of them wouldn't mind assisting him through this awful stage of his life...

It was hours later that Louis found himself storming through Hogwart's hallways in the middle of the night. When he had attempted to retire that night he found his bed full with two of the second year girls and the bathroom held a couple fourth year boys waiting to oogle him. He couldn't take much more of the situation. He growled as he kicked a suit of armor. The sound echoed into the night which resulted in an elderly looking Mr. Filch yelling through the hallways for the rebellious student. Louis ran back to the safety of the tower and hesitated in the stairway. What if someone else was in his bed? Or snuck in tonight? Louis lowered his hand that hovered over the doorknob and ran further up the staircase. He found himself slipping quietly into the seventh year's dorm room. He hadn't had time to talk with Winston yet, but now was as good a time as ever.

However, Winston wasn't in bed.

"Louis?" That was Teddy's groggy voice. "What's wrong?"

Louis crumbled. He couldn't think of another quick solution. "Teddy, can I stay here with you tonight? Just until I can talk with someone?" A moment of silence passed before Teddy grunted his approval and pulled back his covers to let the petite boy in. Louis felt relief flood into his system. "Thank you!"

"No problem."

* * *

 

Scorpious hadn't been able to figure out what Albus was upset about. Not surprising Snape found someway to hurt his best mate. So Scorpius took it upon himself to sneak into Albus' bed that night. The brunette tried to push him out and hide under his blanket, but the persistent blond made it his mission to snuggle himself to his friend and pull him into a tight embrace. Albus eventually relaxed against him and cried himself to sleep. Scorpius found himself thinking of ways he could get Snape back for his ginormous mistake.


	20. Chapter 20

# Unexpected Fate

### Chapter 20: Letters

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Like your father, you have failed miserably as a parent. Why else would Albus insult Minerva's mother in front of the entire school? Such a shame. Not even fame can make a brat like you good at something as simple minded as parenting._

_Hopefully you can take this as an initiative._

_SS_

* * *

_Dearest Severus,_

_It touches me that you thought to write to me in sight of this troubling time. Unfortunately, I am very busy with work at the moment. If only there was someone else in this world who held a parenting role in my son's life that could... show him the light. I look forward to more of your heart warming correspondence._

_Love,_

_The Famous Harry Potter_

_P.S. I have received an owl from our dear Minerva. A certain twinkling-eyed bird has informed her that you only think of her as an acquaintance...Too bad the wisdom of age hasn't enlighten you on something as simple minded as friendship._

* * *

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Love, Mr. Potter? Must you be such a Gryffindor? I never realized that the giant was illiterate. Why else would you hint at me to include him in the raising of your offspring? Of course, I'll talk with him as soon as I find time to visit his humble home. I can understand. It must be safer to let a dangerous animal raise your child than let someone who has rotten his brain with fame. Of course, I'm using my wisdom of old age to decide that._

_SS_

_P.S. Please inform Minerva that I do in fact think of her as more than an acquaintance. If you must know I think of her as a fond comrade._

* * *

_Dearest Dungeon Bat,_

_Really, Severus? A fond comrade? Merlin only knows how you must view me then. Is it really so hard for you to call someone your friend? Minerva may be avoiding you once she receives my reply to her on your updated "friend's status". Speaking of which, I've always wondered what you'd put on your Facebook page if you were to create one. Or what you were post on your wall. Also, my friend, you know very well I wasn't referring to Hagrid (he has a name you know). Why must you be so difficult?_

_Love,_

_Your Favorite Potions Student_

* * *

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_This "Facebook" thing you speak of. Your dreams of knowing what I would post will never be fulfilled, for as you have noted yourself, I have no friends. And if you are shocked by my knowledge of such a muggle thing, please remember that your red headed cousin has made the muggle cellphone addiction another wonderful reason to punish students in my class. You must thank him for me._

_SS_

* * *

_Dearest Severus,_

_You didn't answer my question. Why are you being so difficult?_

_Love,_

_Harry_

* * *

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I am not being difficult. You took advantage of me during a moment of weakness._

_SS_

* * *

_Dearest Severus,_

_I'm not going to keep playing this game with you. I will not take anymore action in the decision of Albus' punishments at school. You will. You are his godfather and you will accept that fact._

_Love with all my Gryffindor Heart,_

_Harry_


	21. 21

Chapter 21: Consequences  
  
Teddy woke up to an unusual feeling. One that was made up of warmth and butterflies. It took him many minutes of self struggling to open his eyes to take in the silvery hair peeking out from beneath his blanket. Teddy found himself smiling at his realization that he'd wrapped Louis tightly in his arms at some point. Just as he was about to wake his companion he heard the door open to the dorm room. Teddy sat up and peeked out of his bed curtains to see Winston sneaking back in. As soon as he spotted Teddy a look of guilt crossed his face.  
  
"Busy night?" Teddy asked. Winston shrugged and gave a nervous laugh. "A girl possibly?"

"Possibly."

"A Gryffindor?"

"Actually... a Hufflepuff." Winston replied with a grin.

"It's always a Hufflepuff."

"Yeah, whatever. Why are you in bed so late? I figured you'd be at breakfast by now..." Teddy shrugged in reply and attempted to climb out of his bed without alerting his roommate to his still sleeping friend. Unfortunately the maneuver didn't go by unnoticed. Now the look of guilt was transferred to Teddy's face.

"It's not what you think." Teddy started as he raised his hands in defense. But his small attempt was shoved aside (literally) as Winston crossed the room to pull back the crimson curtains. There it was. The hint of silvery hair. Teddy began to think of a million explanations for having Louis in his bed. "Winston-"

"Oh. My. Merlin. Victorie is such a liar!"

"Pardon?" Teddy asked. _Victorie a liar? How did Louis in his bed have anything to do with-! Victorie! What if Victorie found out!?_

"She told me she wasn't putting out for you until you were married! She's such a liar!" Winston clapped Teddy on the back as he made his way to his trunk. "How did you get her to change her mind?"

"I.. um..." Winston didn't realize that it wasn't Victorie. Teddy felt slightly relieved. Maybe this moment would pass over into time unnoticed. "I'm not sure."

"Lucky you."

"Yeah." Teddy noticed movement in his bed and quickly jumped back in. As he climbed under the blankets he caught Louis' eyes. The boy looked confused and Teddy tried to tell him everything with that quick glance. Louis remained still under the blankets and prepared to wait Winston out. "So, tell me about this Hufflepuff."

"Hm?" Winston was halfway through dressing. He was currently stuck in his shirt from yesterday since he decided to put it on without removing his tie first. Teddy managed to watch the pitiful struggle without laughing. Once the brunette found his way to the light, he turned to grab his wand and headed toward the door. "Sorry, I don't kiss and tell. Besides, it's not official yet." Winston answered. His hand reached the doorknob. "Coming down to breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'll just be a moment."

Which would have been true had Victorie not opened the door and stepped inside.

Winston looked confused momentarily before looking back at Teddy with accusing eyes. Of course he didn't open his mouth. No way was he getting caught in this.

Winston ran for his life.

That left Victorie standing there smiling at her boyfriend. "Why you still in bed, silly?"

"Um..." _Good answer._

"Is something wrong? Are you not feeling wel..." Victorie was halfway to Teddy before she noticed the extra lump under the blankets. An extra lump with silvery blonde hair. Unfortunately for Teddy, there was only three students at Hogwarts with that shade of hair. Victorie stood there for a few moments without speaking. Teddy felt her anger like electricity. Her voice was like ice when she finally did speak. "Why is Dominique in your bed?"

"Wwhat? No! No!"

"Don't lie to me! I can see her from here!" Teddy felt Louis' huff before the petite boy found some Gryffindor courage and sat up. He looked well rested and his hair clung to him in an unorganized fashion. Victorie's jaw dropped.

"Good morning, Vicky."

"...Louis?" She was overwhelmed. Her eyes darted between the two boys as she let out a shuddery breath.

"Vicky, it's not what you think." Teddy stated as he crawled out of bed again. He reached her and gently stroked her arm. "He was upset about a lot of unwanted attention last night. He hid up here last night. It's no different from when our family visits Shell Cottage and bunks up." Tears were building up in her eyes as relief slowly washed over her.

"Thank goodness!" She whispered as she embraced him tightly. Teddy felt thankful to have avoided an unwanted situation. He could feel her pheromones dancing around them. To him they felt like cold electricity, gracefully swimming around them compared to their sharp explosions from a moment ago. It was strange how he could feel her extreme emotions through this unique link. It started occurring after she picked him as her target to focus upon. He silently wondered what Louis' pheromones would feel like to his target. Would they feel like fresh falling snow like Victorie's? How strong would they be compared to hers? Even without the petite boy focusing on him, his pheromones were so compelling!

Teddy was so caught up in his thoughts and the feelings of Victorie that he never noticed Louis quietly slip out of the room. Victorie had. She had sent her brother a silent glare threatening him to leave her boyfriend alone.

Louis wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel.

Last night had been something amazing. He had felt so warm and safe. It was different from the other night when he slept with Scorpius and Albus. Teddy seemed to have a force about him that eased the petite boy. Like the warm waves of the ocean at Shell Cottage.

But it couldn't happen again. Victorie was pissed. She might seem like the gentle girl to everyone at school but watching her grow up Louis knew how she turned into a ruthless soul when she wanted something.

Or couldn't have her way.

Or if she felt wronged.

Dominque had wronged her once by stealing her favorite doll. Of course, his sister had returned it with apology once Victorie had complained to their parents. Yet that didn't matter. Victorie had spent the next few weeks tormenting Dominque. Her favorite dolls ended up having tea party accidents that left them stained. Her collection of flying origami swans from Aunt Heromine had accidentally gotten smashed when Victorie tripped and her book of fairy tales landed on them. There was also the less subtle way Victorie cut Dominque's hair up in the middle of the night, claiming innocently to her parents that she aspired to be a stylist.

Victorie should had been a Slytherin for her underhanded methods.

Louis sniffled as he descended the stairs back to his room. Yes, last night had been so amazing, but he needed to find a more permanent fix. He felt slightly saddened to hear about Winston and the mysterious Hufflepuff, but there was nothing he could do about that. It wasn't like he liked the boy or something like that. Not really... He really needed to find his target.


	22. 22

**Chapter 22:** Happy Halloween

_Warnings: Some angst and violence in this chapter!_

October 31st.

It hurt so much. The guilt was unbearable. The sadness was so vast. Severus felt like it could swallow him whole. What he wouldn't give just to see _her_ smiles. All he had were a few old photographs. Without those her face tended to fade when he thought about her. It had been so long. He could barely bring himself to pull out the small box that held the few items he retained of Lily. Seeing her laugh in the photos was like a knife stabbing him in his chest. How could he live while her not? How could yet another year pass and him still remain here? _It was all Potter's fault._ _Harry Potter._

At least that thought brought a bitter smile to his face. Harry Potter. The world wanted to mock him. Rub his face in his most regretted mistake. A Potter with Lily's eyes. And another. He would always have a Potter to curse while seeing the sadness in her eyes.

His thoughts cross over to Albus. Albus _Severus_ Potter. Apparently the world thought he needed the additional mock. Giving his given name to his rival's child. To his requited love's child. How cruel could Harry Potter get?

_Damn you, Harry Potter. You should have left me dead…_

Severus was currently attempting to drown his sorrow and anger with a strong vintage of firewhiskey as he did every year. _It shouldn't be long now…_ And it wasn't. He was sitting alone in his sitting room. He had two plush chairs pulled up to the hearth. What he wouldn't give to have Lily sitting beside him right now. The fire suddenly flared and glowed an eerie green. Snape looked up to look into Harry's emerald eyes. _Like clockwork._ Ever since _The Battle of Hogwarts_ Harry Potter had taken up spending his October 31st evening with him. Even though he cursed, spelled curses, and outright ignored the man. Over the years Snape had given up on casting away the bullheaded Gryffindor. Now he merely took guilty looks at Lily's eyes on her death's anniversary. _How would she feel knowing he still loved her and mourned her?_

"Severus." Harry took his seat, giving his old professor a sad smile.

"Potter." He didn't even have the strength to make it sound like a curse as he normally did. The silence stayed between them for a long time. Severus kept his gaze on the flickering flames while he drank and drank. The warmth was barely a comfort. Severus looked up slowly after an hour. Harry was staring at the fire as well, its dancing form making his emerald eyes burn brightly. "I miss her." He whispered it. He never liked admitting it out loud. Harry's eyes connected with his and they stayed there for so long. Even though her face faded with his memories, her eyes were forever burned into his soul.

"I do, too. I miss all of them." Severus tried not to think about the loses of _The Battle of Hogwarts_. He had been headmaster at the time. He should have been able to save the lives of the children... Harry always spent this evening to reflect on everyone he'd lost because of the Dark Lord. Harry stood up, never breaking eye contact, and poured Severus another glass of firewhiskey. Severus stared at the amber liquid before setting his glass down. His head was already swimming. Severus didn't stop the Gryffindor from settling in his lap and embracing him. Severus allowed the warm embrace. _I'll never feel her hug me again._ "Can I confess something, sir?" Harry asked. On any other given day Severus Snape would have murdered the boy if he attempted to wrap his arms around his neck. But not this day. _The day Lily died_. Severus decided to take the comfort offered and wrapped his arms tightly around the other man.

"What is it, boy?" His voice was rough from holding back tears. Those tears would fall before the night ended. They always did.

"It's selfish of me," Harry whispered, Severus could feel Harry's tears against his neck, "but I think of you like a father…"

Severus tensed. If only Lily had chosen him instead of Potter… "What about that mangy mutt or that damned monster?" _Sirius Black and Remus Lupin._ He couldn't hold the bitterness from his question.

"Shooting stars. I only had them for so long like my parents. They certainly wanted the position but I only have you here with me." Severus knew it must have hurt to admit that. It was dirty to remind Potter of his two lost companions. He knew they were important figures to the man.

"I'm sorry." Harry tightened his grip around him and wept.

* * *

Albus felt nervous about the party. Classes seemed to take forever. Why was it every time something awesome was happening that time slowed down? At least until the fun was to be had? Albus worried his lip as he studied himself one more time in the mirror.

The Hulk. _The most amazing costume ever!_ Albus had coated himself in layers of green body paint. It had taken him some time to hunt down spandex purple pants, but he grinned at his success. It was a bit nippy to be barefoot and shirtless, but it was totally worth it to look this good.

"You're joking." Had been Scorpius' sardonic response when he showed him his perfected costume. Albus blushed at the memory of that Malfoy smirk. Albus left the bathroom and headed to the common room. Scorpius and Louis had disappeared off earlier saying their costumes were a surprise. No doubt they were probably hiding off in Myrtle's bathroom again. Somehow that bathroom always had a boy in it. Though Louis always seemed to be in girl's bathrooms and bedrooms. Albus tossed his train of thought away as he caught sight of the other Gryffindors.

William was an elder vampire (or what they thought one looked like). Albus had drawn rune like shapes all over his body with his leftover green paint. He wore James' borrowed Quidditch gear because they figured it looked like armor. William had been too lazy to spend any money on his costume. As did Wubben. In fact, Wubben had been determined to not dress up (because only babies did). He changed his mind when his girlfriend texted him asking what he was dressing up as. All they could find for his was the leopard printed scarf his girlfriend had given him, a token of her. It was definitely hilarious to see Wubben walking around as Tarzan. The tall boy disliked the muggle aspect of it, but he had no other alternative. Unfortunately Louis had tried to help him lengthen his hair with a Hair Thickening Charm. The results produced long hair to his shoulders but the locks themselves were a bright hot pink. Wubben's girlfriend, Alicia Abbott (dressed as a mermaid) was taking pleasure at teasing him.

From his point of view, Albus could see at least four "Harry Potters"; one of them was Frank Longbottom. _How predictable._ Beside Frank was James. He decided upon the popular Seeker of the Tutshill Tornados. Fred Weasley picked a werewolf costume that magically howled periodically. Teddy was giving weird glances at Fred from across the room but didn't seem upset. He had gone without a costume, choosing instead to turn his hair into a long amber braid that fell down his back. Victorie was clinging to him in her blue silk dress. She had mentioned something about Aphrodite before. She had braided shiny jewels into her hair. Dominique went muggle with her sexy Jessica Rabbit (his dad's and Aunt Hermione's muggle influence on the family was amazing). She overdid her makeup a bit but the boys still seemed to find her amazing. Xena and Rose were whispering to each other excitedly. Both of them had decided upon Dyrads, forest spirits that adorned rustic Druid armor and vine woven robes. Albus smiled when he thought about all the effort Rose put into making her costume as authentic as possible. Aunt Hermione had eagerly owled her most of the materials, seeking pleasure in studying the ancient handcrafted process.

"Al!" Rose ran up to him and gave a gentle hug. "This is so thrilling! Going to the feast and then breaking rules afterwards!"

Xena walked up to him, though excited still shown on her face. "Breaking rules is finally an option for our courageous Ravenclaw. Took many hours for the girls to convince her. Too bad the Ravenclaws aren't joining in this Hufflepuff/Gryffindor mixer. We're missing out on the hot Ravenclaw boys!"

"The less who know the less likely we'll be caught." Albus confirmed. That's what the older students said anyway. Were they really going to drink and dance at a party tonight? It seemed unreal.

"You said we wouldn't get caught!" Rose replied frantically. Xena glowered at Albus and turned to the distressed girl.

"We're not. He's just pulling your foot. The Gryffindor boys just don't want to compete with the Ravenclaw boys for the Hufflepuff ladies." Xena said. Albus huffed. They headed toward the feast along with the rest of the mass of students. _Where are Scorpius and Louis?They're late._

Walking into the Great Hall was like walking into a solid wall of laughter. Albus had to push his way to his seat but couldn't see what was so funny from where he was. All the students were standing and whooping. He looked back at Rose, but she merely shrugged. Albus climbed up on top of the table like a bunch of the other students. He maneuvered around the boats of gravy, Yorkshire puddings, pumpkin pies, and plates of sweet treacle toffees to get a good look at the faculty table.

Headmistress McGonagall and Professor Snape were arguing with each other… while Headmistress McGonagall watched in amusement! It took a double look to realize that it was his mates up there arguing in play. Louis was dressed as Snape. He had powdered his complexion into a silky paleness and wore a stringy black wig that covered his beautiful silvery hair. He was rather short. Scorpius had somehow copied the Headmistress's emerald robes perfectly. Albus knew Louis must have been the root of that. From the looks of it, the Headmistress had refused Snape's proposal! Louis-Snape pouted on his one knee before the Scorpius-Headmistress. Albus watched in amusing as Scorpius-Headmistress threw a handful of pudding at Louis-Snape! This started a miniature food fight between the two boys and students dodged their stray shots. The students howled and Albus found himself being pushed aside in the craziness. The other professors were clapping politely with grins. Others tried to make themselves invisible as if scared Professor Snape would enter at any moment and see their betrayal.

Finally the real Headmistress cleared her throat and waited for Scorpius-Headmistress to return her seat with a pointed look. Scorpius unceremoniously climbed over the table on all four and jumped to safety beside Louis. "Thank you for that lovely skit. Twenty points for Gryffindor." McGonagall said as she took her seat. She spelled away the splattered food that Scorpius had generously left from his food fight refusal.

"You're awarding us?" Scorpius asked, his shock evident even to Albus.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy, seeing as Professor Snape will take away more than that when he crosses your path." The Headmistress smiled as she turned her attention to Professor Flitwick and left the two boys with their mouths partly open.

Dinner was a joyous occasion. Albus, Scorpius, and Louis all ate to their hearts content and joked with all their friends. Turns out that not many Hogwarts students knew who The Hulk was to Albus' disappointment. His green body paint tended to rub off on anyone with managed to touch his bare skin. Rose had asked him why he didn't just use on of Uncle George's spells. Albus hadn't really thought about it.

After dinner, the students dispersed to their intended destinations. Slowly the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors took different paths and snuck to the Room of Requirement. The Room has decorated itself into a large circular room made of stone and large windows. Benches lined the walls. Colorful streamers extended from the ceiling and danced around flying confetti. The Sixth and Seventh year students had slipped in the food from the Kitchens and laid out their conquest on clothed tables that burned brightly with purple and black candles. There was music playing though no noticeable source could be seen. Rose and Alicia awed at the decorations. Xena smiled and slipped away to flirt with the third year Hufflepuff boys standing nervously near one of the windows. Teddy and Victorie were already making out on one of the benches. Louis ran over to someone dressed up as Blodwyn Bludd, a vampire singer who was accompanied by a female dressed up as Celestina Warbeck.

Albus felt slightly lost as the room spun around him. He felt a hand wrap around his own. He turned and smiled warmly at his Scorpius-Headmistress.

"Would you like to dance, Mr. Potter?" Scorpius asked in a falsetto voice. Albus laughed and nodded before his mate pulled him into the middle of the dance floor. Time melted away like the music. Albus lost himself in the excitement of the evening. Nothing could dampen his spirits! Not even seeing Laura (dressed in a flowing orange and yellow dress that flickered like flames) dancing with his brother.

"Would you like something to drink?" Scorpius asked after awhile, barely audible over the music. Albus nodded and was suddenly being pulled toward on of the tables. He noticed Teddy looking frantic from the corner of his vision, but when he turned to see what was wrong Teddy was already lost in the crowd. Albus shrugged and figured it was nothing. Scorpius was looking at him with a smile. To Albus, nothing else in the world mattered at the moment.

* * *

Louis was a mixture of things. Firstly, he was pissed beyond reason. Secondly, he was scared to the point that he couldn't stop trembling. And lastly, he felt hopeless. But he wanted to feel hope! Surely someone would notice that he was missing!

Louis had been talking with Winston and his almost girlfriend Jade Wellington. After they excused themselves to dance Louis was cornered by a bunch of the Hufflepuff girls inquiring about his newest nail polish designs. Louis had taken up helping Uncle George with his business products. Suddenly, because of the beloved Veela, males wearing nail polish was becoming trendy. To further up interest, Uncle George had created a nail polish line to add to the ever amazing Wonder Witch products. Even more amazing was that _Which Witch?_ fashion show was paying to have the newest polishes shown publicly at their next show in London. Of course the female student body was learning that he was keeping up with the latest fashions and were seeking this top secret information. Louis had to let them down gently, with assurances that the wait was totally worth it! They squealed in delight.

The night was wonderful! Until an older Hufflepuff named Robin Davin shyly tapped him on the shoulder. She wanted to know if they could have a word alone. Louis never second guessed her intentions. He'd had lots of girls wanting private words with him about this such boy or that embarrassing question about fashion. The sturdy girl led him outside of the Room. He was barely out of the Room before he was jumped!

Nobody heard him scream over the music.

Louis struggled as Lorcan and Lysander Scamander dragged him to their rooms in the Ravenclaw Tower. How no one heard him screaming through two floors, a common room, and many many stairs was a mystery to Louis. Lorcan just buzzed in excitement as he tightened his grip on the petite boy's arm. Louis begged to be released. He kicked when they refused to acknowledge his pleads. Nothing seemed to work.

The moment that Louis' heart dropped to his stomach was when Lysander smirked and whispered to his brother. "We'll have to thank Victorie for this wonderful present."

_...Victorie?_

Louis cried and cried. The two Ravenclaws had locked him up in their small, dark closet. Louis had tried the door, but it was a sold mahogany and the boys had taken his wand. He could hear them arguing over who got to do what first. Louis could barely think with how frantic his mind was!

"HELP!" he cried, pounding at the door. "PLEEEASE! HELLLP MEEE!"

The door opened with a click. Louis scrambled back as quickly as he could, pulling down some robes in the process. Lorcan stood before him with a hungry look. "Please let me go!" Louis cried, but the larger boy lurched forward and dragged him out by his arm. The taller boy yanked off Louis' wig and tossed it somewhere out of view.

"You do yourself an injustice dressing as Professor Snape."

_Professor Snape..._ The name echoed in Louis' mind as Lorcan shoved him onto a bed. Lysander laughed from where he watched. _If Professor Snape was here, he'd save me!_

Louis closed his eyes and thought of nothing else. Praying for Professor Snape to rescue him was better than screaming for no one to hear him! If only Professor Snape could hear him! And if only he could save him!

_Professor Snape!_

* * *

Severus Snape had left a drunk and passed out auror on his floor. He was too inebriated to help the man onto a couch or bed or chair... the floor was comfortable with that much firewhiskey anyway. Snape would know.

He was currently trying to clear his mind by walking the hallways. No doubt he could take his anger out on poor unsuspecting students who dared to venture out on Halloween night. And Snape had a lot of anger to vent... did he really hug The Boy Who Lived? Severus stilled a moment to think back but couldn't even remember where he was at the second. And then it hit him-

A feeling of heat spread throughout his body starting with his chest and ending in his toes and fingers. The heat surpassed even the finest firewhiskey! Snape felt dizzy thinking maybe he'd been attacked by an invisible dragon or something. _Probably stole Potter's stupid invisibility cloak!_

And then there was a voice in his mind! _Professor Snape!_

"Oh!" Severus Snape stood there completely warm and suddenly filled with terror. He scanned the empty corridor frantically. His stomach lurched and suddenly he knew where to go! He knew something was terribly wrong. And he knew he needed to go in _that_ direction to find out what. Severus Snape ran faster than he had ever ran before. Being drunk didn't really help. He stumbled on some steps and felt a sharp pull in his ankle yet he climbed back to his feet and ignored to twinges he felt as he ran.

Severus ended up facing an eagle knocker made of bronze.

"I have veins but do not bleed. I have an epidermis but no skin. What am I?"

Severus stared at the knocker in silence... he knew this! But what was it again? _Damn firewhiskey!_

The eagle knocker looked expectedly at the Professor in silence. Severus thought and thought but all he could think about was emerald green... green... green...

"Leaves!" Leaves were green! The door opened silently and Severus felt a flutter in his heart as he raced forward to where that dark void was coming from!

* * *

Teddy could feel something was terribly wrong.

The night was wonderful, yes. Victorie seemed more eager than ever to snog. Everyone was in high spirits. But he was looked around, he noticed that a certain someone was missing.

How was Louis not in sight a recipe for terribly wrong? But the young Gryffindor was no where to be found. Something just didn't seem right. All the girls had seen him but didn't know where he went. Victorie just shrugged and tried to snog him some more. Winston didn't know but was looking now, too. Albus and Scorpius both freaked when they couldn't find their mate. Suddenly a large portion of the party was on edge about the missing boy.

No one could find him.

After Teddy was sure that Louis wasn't still at the party, he ran to the Gryffindor Tower hoping to him the petite boy there.

He looked in every boy's room there was. He even scared some younger females students to check their side after he unsuccessful leap up the steps.

Louis was missing.

Teddy, Albus, and Scorpius found themselves in front of a gargoyle requesting a password.


	23. 23

**Chapter 23: Professor Snape**

It was odd to see Louis sitting next to Professor Snape at the faculty table. Yet there he was sitting quietly next to an oddly accepting Severus. It had been a week since Halloween and Louis had taken up shadowing the dungeon bat. Scorpius snuggled closer to his best mate before returning his focus on the conversation at hand: Louis and Halloween. Rose and Xena were sitting across from them. William seemed out of place in their group, but sat with them because Wubben was sitting with Alicia at the Hufflepuff table.

"So, what's happening with Lorcan and Lysander?" Albus asked. So far, the twins had been confined to the Ravenclaw Tower while the parents talked the situation out with Headmistress McGonagall.

"Well," Rose looked slightly moot, "My mom says that their mom has been considering relocating anyway. You know, Luna being a naturalist and all. So, it'd been decided that the twins will transfer to Beauxbartons instead of being expelled." It was a hard topic. Luna and her kids had been close to both Albus and Rose's families. Even though Albus wanted the boys to be expelled for attacking his cousin, he was also sad because they were his friends.

"That's better than them losing their education." Albus reluctantly admitted. Scorpius slammed his hand down on the table.

"Better?" Scorpius asked. "They almost _raped_ Louis! They should have been expelled on the spot!" Both Albus and Rose looked sick to their stomachs. He knew they agreed on the inside. Only their Gryffindor natures keep them clinging to the loyalty of their childhood friends. Scorpius had no such loyalties. Of course Luna Scamander was probably a wonderful person, but her sons were just desperate and sick perverts! There was an uncomfortable silence around them for a few moments.

"The only reason they weren't was because they said that Louis influenced them with his Veela magic." Rose said, definitely bitter. "But really! Louis didn't target them! And no one else has reacted so physically! They've only stared at him, tried to slip him love potions, followed him, sang to him-"

"Well, I for one am glad that Professor Snape saved the day." Xena interrupted. Everyone nodded in agreement; Rose pouted at being interrupted. "Severus Snape has never looked better! I never imagined _him_ in gun metal nail polish!"

"Why exactly is Professor Snape wearing nail polish? And why is Louis following him around?" William asked, deciding to break his silence.

"Yeah? Why?" Scorpius asked Rose. No one had really answered that question.

"Um... well, I'm assuming that Louis targeted Professor Snape."

"What do you mean by targeted?" Xena asked.

"Well, a method of controlling Louis' shimmering is the act of targeting. Louis can focus his hormones upon a particular host."

"Whoa whoa!" Albus stood up abruptly. "He's like controlling Professor Snape? Isn't that illegal?"

"Sit down!" Rose said. Scorpius pulled Albus back down quickly because his outburst was gathering them attention. "He's not controlling him! He's just focusing his interest in him and Professor Snape is returning them based on an increase awareness to already established attraction or respect. The hormones don't dictate what you do, just enhance feelings and such."

"Could you repeat that in English?" Albus asked. Scorpius rolled his eyes at his friend.

"She just means that Uncle Sev already liked Louis anyway. He's not doing anything he doesn't want." Scorpius said.

"Oh." Albus relaxed again. "That's weird."

* * *

Louis felt safe. He felt slightly guilty targeting Professor Snape, but somehow the man had heard him and saved him! Rose did say that a strong focusing of his powers could result in his target sensing when he was in danger or upset. Louis didn't want to let the feeling of safety go, knowing that nothing bad could happen to him while Professor Snape was his target. And the older man didn't seem to mind.

Louis did feel sad about not staying with his friends but the knowledge that his attackers were still in the school scared him. It didn't matter that he'd known them all his life. They had violated his trust. In the end, Louis figured he could handle the love potions, the love letters, and random stalker/hide-and-seek. But he drew the line at attempted rape and kidnapping.

Surprisingly, no one had questioned Professor Snape and him about their time together. Louis felt honored to be the only student to ever see their Professor's personal quarters. Heck, he felt bizarre about sleeping there for the past week! But Professor Snape, Severus in private, personally extended him the invitation. How could he refuse? The man was a walking knight in shining armor and was like Pandora's box!

"Louis, if you'll excuse me, I am going to get a start on next week's lesson plans. I'll be in my office if you need me." Severus said in a soft tone to the young Gryffindor. Louis nodded before returning back to his breakfast.

Later Louis found himself walking alone in the library. Severus was as ruthless as Rosie when it came to class work and Louis found himself needing references for his latest Transfiguration paper. The topic was the similarities and differences between _Vera Verto_ and _Snufflifors_. After he found two promising books, Louis headed back toward the dungeons.

"Louis!" The petite boy found himself ambushed by Teddy near an empty dungeon classroom. "I've been trying to talk with you for days!"

"I'm sorry... I've been-"

"No need," Teddy interrupted warmly, "I understand."

"You do?" Louis felt a tightness in his chest.

"Yeah." Teddy smiled and extended his arms out for a hug. Louis hesitated but slowly embraced his friend. "Everyone misses you at the tower."

"I know, but I can't go back yet." Louis replied. He did miss his friends. Albus. Scorpius. Teddy. Winston. Xena. He could feel himself tearing up so he buried his face into Teddy's shirt. The taller boy looked down and frowned.

"Why not? I miss you."

"I can't tell you." Louis whispered. How could he tell anyone about his suspicions against his own sister? How could he ever go back to the tower? Or home? How? Merlin, if Victorie knew he was with Teddy now- "I have to go!" Louis said with a shout as he pushed Teddy back. Taken by surprise, Teddy's hair flared a brilliant blue.

"Louis? Did I do something?" Teddy asked, unsure.

"No! Not you. I... I have to go! I'm sorry!" Louis cried, he turned quickly and ran for Professor Snape. He was safe with him and no one else. If Victorie found out... _She'll try to hurt me again!_ Louis thought.

* * *

"Severus."

"Minerva." Professor Snape retorted back while refusing to look up from his papers. He dipped his quill, a beautiful hawk feather, into his ink pot before marking another note in his planner. His quill interested him far greater than anything Minerva intended to discuss.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Severus, look at me when I address you." The headmistress admonished as she walked up to his desk. Severus frowned but turned his attention to the witch. "Thank you. Now. When do you plan to approach me about Mr. Weasley's residence in your private chambers?"

"You make it sound as if he lives with me, Minerva."

"He's stayed with you for over a week! I'm sorry to say I don't know any other witch or wizard who has had a better record." Minerva replied with an even stare which Severus match with a pointed glare.

"If you've only come here to gloat about your _successful_ relationships, please by all means excuse me." Severus stood and meant to exit but was stopped with a hand on his arm.

"I didn't mean to offend."

"Undoubtedly."

"Severus, you can not have a relationship with a student. It is against regulations." Minerva sighed as she spoke. It was never easy to tell the man 'no'. He never asked for anything. No money, no glory. He was a man who sacrificed his own life to silently protect the savior of their world.

"This _relationship_ will not cross the lines of propriety. It is merely a vessel of insecurities." Severus brushed off the headmistress' hand before returning to his desk. Minerva looked upset. She trusted this man. She knew he wouldn't take advantage of a student but appearances were enough to corrupt one's decorum.

"I apologize. I meant no offense." Minerva received no response from her coworker so she turned to leave when the crying Louis burst in. The petite boy ended up tangled in Severus' arms. The raven haired man looked up at Minerva with an expression that dared her to speak. He looked so much like a wild panther protecting her cubs that she left without a word and a vow to trust Severus' judgment.

* * *

"How come you're not mad at me, Severus?" Louis asked. A few hours had passed and the Gryffindor found himself sitting on a couch in the potion master's sitting room. A fire was crackling pleasantly nearby and Severus' Spotted Eagle-Owl was pruning herself.

"You will have to elaborate on the topic for me to give you an adequate response." Severus replied. He was resting in a comfy armchair opposite of Louis. He looked different than his usual self. His hair was washed and groomed to shine. His usual potion-stained fingers were manicured and glossy with a gun metal shine. They currently nursed a cup of herbal tea. His complexion was healthier, not as pale as usual. His eyes looked more alive, due to more sleep and energy.

Louis took a sip of his warm cider before setting his cup down on a mahogany cocktail table. "I targeted you without your consent." He blushed before looking at Severus.

"While consent may not have been given beforehand, I find myself enjoying our association."

"R-really?"

"Really. The emotions I feel when I attempt to please you are thrilling." Severus answered. "I must admit it has been some time since I have felt the need to make someone else happy. Attempting to make you smile by adjusting my grooming has been very satisfying." Louis decided at that moment in time that he'd forever have a cherry red completion. He couldn't even find his tongue to response. Yet Severus lips twitched into a small smirk at Louis' blush. No words were needed.


	24. 24

**Chapter 24: Approaching Holidays/ Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!**

Scorpius was pouting. And why wouldn't he? Tonight was the last night at Hogwarts before the Christmas Holidays. How was he supposed to spend two weeks without his friends!? He had no siblings at home! No friends nearby! And heaven forbid he spend time with his parents! But his father had already declined his inquires about staying at Hogwarts during the holidays.

"Stop that." Albus muttered as he wriggled around in the bed before decided to flip to his side. Scorpius stuck his bottom lip out.

"Stop what?" the blond boy demanded stubbornly. He hadn't been able to sleep so he decided to prod his best mate into more responses.

"Thinking" was the sleepy answer.

"How can you tell I'm thinking? I'm not telepathic!-"

"You grind your teeth when you're thinking."

"Oh." Albus wriggled his toes on Scorpius' legs. Scorpius pulled his legs up higher to get away from the annoying little buggers. "Well, what else do you expect me to do? It's not fair! I want to spend Christmas with you!"

"Can you just go to sleep?"

"Hardly."

"Scorp..." Albus flipped over so that he could face Scorpius (even though he could barely see his face in the dark). "I want to hang out and stroke your ego, too, but our parents said no. My dad said he's considering letting you visit before New Year's."

The blond boy continued to pout. "That's still too long."

"We'll write every day?"

"I suppose..." He sounded like he was caving into accepting reality.

"We could ask Rosie or my Aunt Hermione to teach us telepathy?" The brunette boy sounded hopeful for his friend.

"That would take forever..."

"Scorpius." Albus admonished. "If you're not going to put forth the effort in this friendshi-"

"AaaaaaalllllllL!" Scorpius whined. "I don't wanna learn telepathy yet!" Albus snorted and closed his eyes again.

"Goodnight, Scorpius." Albus wasn't starting an argument at this time of night. And he refused to acknowledge the pouting whine that Scorpius emitted. He was upset, too. But arguing with his mother was not an option. They would just have to deal with it. Albus reached over and wrapped an arm around his friend. There. That solved the whining. Eventually both Gryffindors found a warm, peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Control yourself, Dear." Astoria whispered as she watched her husband tap his foot in irritation. Draco Malfoy huffed in reply. "Malfoys do not show aggravation."

"I'm not aggravated!" Draco whispered back furiously. "I'm just peachy!"

Astoria sighed. This was not what she imagined when she married Draco Malfoy. The man clearly had an obsession with Harry Potter. He had spent the entire term planning some sort of revenge against the man. He wouldn't shut up about him! Every article _The Daily Prophet_ printed about Harry Potter had to be verbally scrutinized and growled over. She was currently watching him watch the Savior-Of-The-Wizarding-World. Harry Potter was embracing his sons at the moment on Platform 9 3/4. Her little Scorpius was standing next to his youngest son. The dynamic of the group was interesting to witness, not irritating like her husband found it. There was a shocked look upon the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley. Their daughter and Harry Potter's youngest son seemed to warmly arrange themselves around her son. While the eldest son looked sulky (which should be expected after Scorpius carelessly harmed him). The youngest children looked uncertain. Astoria decided time was wasting away and prompted her husband to approach Scorpius.

"Are you serious? I'm not talking to that Scarhe-"

"I did not tell you to talk to Harry Potter. I told you to go retrieve our son." Astoria gave a stern look at her husband. One which always got her way. Draco scrambled away while grumbling under his breath. She sighed again. Her husband was never going to grow up.

Draco edged closer to the group of overly cheerful and _puke_ Gryffindors. When he was close enough for them to take notice he received quite a few odd stares.

"Father?" Scorpius looked up at him with puppy eyes.

"Scorpius." _Ah ha!_ He managed a dignified response in front of Harry Potter. He remained true to his Malfoy upbringing! But there was no way was he even going to acknowledge that his well-bred son _asked_ him if he could spend the Holidays with a _Potter!_ No way. He would never let that happen while he was alive. He turned his attention away from the puppy eyes and glared up at the Weasels and Potters.

"How they hanging, Ferret?" Weasel asked with a laugh. Half the group quickly admonished him by his name. This included an elbow in his rib by Hermione and an uncertain disapproving look on Potter's face. Draco just looked down right confused.

"How are what hanging exactly?" Draco asked sharply. _What the heck was the Weasel talking about?_ This gave way to some suppressed giggling. Potter still looked uncertain but with a gleam in his eye. _Oh! So they had some sort of inside joke about him!_

"OH! That's right!" Ron beamed. "I just figured they'd just shrivel up after the Malfoys' produced their acquired heir. Did they literally fall off!?"

_Did... they..._

_**Oh.** _

It all clicked so suddenly that the rage felt so intense! Draco couldn't even form words! He felt his blood boil and his face flush as he took aim at Weasel.

He was quick, but Harry Bloody Potter was quicker.

Draco ended up being tackled by the Savior-Of-The-Wizarding-World on Platform 9 3/4 in front of everyone. He could hear the *Oomph!* echo in his mind as bright and angry emerald eyes took up his vision.

"Malfoy! Are you mental? Attacking an auror in public!" Harry growled under his breath. Draco's mind swam. The Gryffindor git was right. What was he thinking? _Okay, I wasn't._ "Control yourself! Ron has always been a prat to you!"

"I wasn't attacking him. I was attempting to fix his face!" Draco hissed back.

"Father!" Scorpius whispered as he rushed to help Draco stand. Mini-Potter stood back like a Hufflepuff and observed the scene from his mother's side. "Stop embarrassing me in front of my friends!" His son whispered as quietly as he could.

Draco pulled himself together and glared at any lookers. He decided to ignore the useless group of nobodies and finally turned toward his son. Though, Draco mentally huffed and puffed. How he hated Harry Potter and his evil plots. Stupid Potter acting all innocent. "Come along, Scorpius." With that he headed back in the direction he left his wife. Scorpius paused a moment to wave at Albus and pouted one last time before chasing after his dad. The Malfoys left the group confused and with many unanswered questions.

Unfortunately for Draco, Astoria had taken an early leave home. After all, there is no need to witness a Malfoy during his public humiliation.

* * *

Louis smiled as he ran through the flurries of snow. It had been a few days since everyone left Hogwarts for the Holidays. His mother had written him fiercely asking if he would return, but Louis couldn't bring himself to leave Severus. The potions professor was currently walking a few feet behind him. They were shopping in Hogsmede for Christmas gifts. Surprisingly, Severus was amazing company. Even if he sometimes reminded Louis of Rosie or his Aunt Hermione.

"Hurry up!" Louis called back. Severus gave him a half-hearted glare and refused to pick up speed. Louis settled for pausing a moment and letting him catch up. Once reunited, Louis held out his hand.

"Must we?"

"Of course. It's a part of the holidays." Louis replied. Severus snorted but took up the small hand into his. A small blush appeared on his already cold, flushed face.

"Yes, how I savor the frolicking of Christmas." Louis smiled and tugged his professor along.

Many, many shoppers nearly dropped their purchases as they witnessed The Severus Snape shopping for Christmas presents hand-in-hand with a young Gryffindor.

* * *

Albus found himself bored out of his mind.

His location? The Burrow.

The Burrow was a madhouse this time of year. Albus figured they weren't wizards anymore but merely sardines. A bunch of crazy sardines trapped in a tiny tin can and couldn't figure out how to get out!

Sleeping arrangements were disastrous!

Albus found himself without his typical roommate, Louis. Instead, Albus upgraded to Teddy this year. Which was better than being stuck with Hugo or being pranked constantly by Fred and James. But something about the way Teddy was acting made Albus think he was sad.

But why?

Albus couldn't figure out why his almost-brother wasn't happy. His girlfriend was here. _As annoying as she is…_ Albus had taken to hiding in their room under his bed. Otherwise Granny Molly, Aunt Hermione, or his mom would attempt to get him to clean. No way was he doing that on his holiday.

Albus pouted and he attempted to get more comfortable in his dusty spot. He missed Scorpius and Louis. Even sorta Wubben and William. It was odd not to hear the normal nightly sounds of the dorm. Teddy snored, but it was really loud! He snickered at that thought. He had even taken James' past crime and took a video of the act on his cellphone. Certainly his mates would enjoy that!

_Can't Christmas come any sooner?_

_Scorpius and Louis will flip over their presents!_

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER! YOU GET DOWN HERE AND HELP YOUR GRANDMOTHER THIS INSTANT! JAMES SIRIUS POTTER YOU GET DOWN HERE, TOO! AND BRING YOUR COUSINS! THAT GARDEN ISN'T GOING TO DEGNOME ITSELF!" _Oi_ , Albus cringed. _Yay, Holidays!_


	25. 25

**Chapter 25: The Holidays**

Draco felt warm and content as he watched his owl, Silk, fly off into the night. She was a beauty adorned with black feathers that felt like silk. But the wondrous sight of his owl flying off into the backdrop of the universe wasn't what was warming the frozen heart of Draco Malfoy. It was what she carried.

Scorpius had asked to borrow his owl so he could send the Potter brat his Christmas gift. Draco had purposely grumbled and belly-ached about it before he gave in. It wouldn't be wise to seem too eager to let his son see his happiness. Yes, his happiness to destroy Harry Potter's secret plot! He'd waited weeks for this moment! The moment that Scorpius sent off his Christmas gift. The Potter brat would be non the wiser. Draco chuckled.

Yes, even better, Harry Bloody Potter would get what he deserved!

Finally!

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

_Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap!_

Albus ran from his bed quickly to let in the large black owl. A gush of cold air accompanied the bird as she landed gracefully on his bedpost.

"Hey, pretty bird!" Albus greeted quietly as he reached out to stroke the shiny black feathers. The owl allowed the invasion before nipping his arm gently. She was carrying two awful packages after all. "Okay, okay!" Both packages were beautifully wrapped in midnight blue paper with silver ribbons. One was smaller and square while the other was medium sized and deep.

Albus beamed. Scorpius had gotten him two gifts! Albus felt slightly giddy about the idea, and slightly sad he'd only sent the blond boy just one.

He retrieved both packages from the owl before letting her back out into the crisp winter. Albus shivered as he closed his window and hopped back under his warm comforter. He was nervous suddenly. What if what he sent Scorpius wasn't as awesome as what he was receiving? But the hesitation lasted only a moment before the beautiful paper was shredded and the boxes popped open! Inside the smaller gift was an odd looking silver band. A necklace of sort? Odd. Albus looked over at the medium sized box. Inside lay a black and sapphire scarf that dazzled. Albus laughed to himself. Scorpius picked out gifts like Louis!

Albus pulled out the scarf first, loving the soft texture. As he flung it around his neck, something small and heavy fell to the floor. "Huh?" Albus flopped after the object and after a struggle with the mess from under his bed, he returned with a tiny silver snitch charm. It's wings buzzed as he held on to it.

"Whoa!" Where did Scorp find this? Even though Albus wasn't into quidditch, he did love snitches! His dad had given him one from his first game ever.

For fear of losing the awesome but tiny snitch, Albus slipped it onto the silver necklace. "Wonder if this will fit? It looks small." Albus shrugged and pulled it around his neck. It took an effort and it was tight! But he finally got the necklace on. It felt weird. He'd never worn a necklace before (Louis had failed many attempts). It was cold, then it flared hot for a few moments before taking on a warm glow. Albus smiled when he felt the snitch's wings tickle his neck.

Albus looked across the room at the snoring Teddy. Out cold. Nothing work that boy up. "TEDDY!" Albus jumped up and whispered, "LET'S GET UP AND RAID THE TREE!"

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

Severus crept down the hall of his private quarters toward his living room. The night before Louis and him had shared Apple Cranberry cider and listened to muggle Christmas music into the night. Louis had requested to stay up longer than him. Severus hadn't found the Gryffindor in his room so assumed he'd still be where he left him.

"Ah. Correct." There was Louis, asleep on a pile of couch pillows and a throw blanket in front of the hearth. He looked like an angel with his eyes closed and eyelashes fanned out on pale white cheeks. His silvery blond hair splayed out added to the look. Severus smiled. How odd to find himself not alone on Christmas, even if it was a Gryffindor.

The boy still refused to talk about the incident. Severus assumed he was hiding something. What Severus found odd was the boy's reaction yesterday. He had decided that he'd sacrifice his joy in life and accompany the boy to the Weasley's Holiday get-together. (Molly still annoyed him with the invitations every year). The young boy hadn't been home to see his family, and he knew Louis' mom was worried by the increasing amount of owls the boy received. Yet, when he brought up the topic, the boy took upon the feral nature of an animal in a trap. He was scared and angry at something. But what?

_...or who?_

Severus frowned. The thought of anyone attempting to bring harm to the boy sleeping in his living room disturbed him to the core. He casually dropped his conversation yesterday, but he had every intention of uncovering who Louis feared.

And punish them to an inch of their life.

Anyone who harmed him deserved to die.

Yes, poison and torture.

Severus blinked and looked around the room slightly disoriented. He smirked once his thoughts had cleared. The boy's hormones were running strong today. He felt overly protective again. Severus found it amusing how the different levels of hormones affected him. Louis had even allowed him to draw some samples of blood for potion experiments. So far, the possibilities were astounding. He had already had marvelous breakthroughs on male fertility potions (a few lucky male rats were expecting in his laboratory). The market was in high demand for a better process for male pregnancies. The dark magic rituals were so complicated and required so much of the expectant. So much so that the expectant didn't usually live through the pregnancy. Male pregnancies carried high fatalities rates. To create a potion that would do all the work besides the act was genius.

"Severus?" A blurry eyed angel whispered from the pile of pillows. Severus smiled to himself.

"Yes?" He crouched down and helped the young boy up. Silvery blond hair curled all over. The small evergreen tree in the corner shimmered with dazzling faery lights. Silver seem to reflect and shine all over for Severus.

"Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Louis." The Potion Master would do anything for this child. Sacrifice all his happiness if he had to. Starting with watching his living room being covered in shredded wrapping paper from the mountain of presents Severus had procured. Louis seemed to enjoy fashion. Severus had invested his time into researching the latest fashions for the young wizard. Severus would give him unlimited access to anything his heart desired.

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

Scorpius awoke at an early early hour and was completely refreshed. His excitement was comparable to a bouncy ball in a tiny square room! He couldn't wait to see what Albus had gotten him! Better yet, he couldn't wait to fire call Al later to see if he liked his present!

The blond boy looked across his room toward his small Christmas pine in the middle of his room. (He had complained a few years earlier that walking across the Mansion to the sitting room's Christmas tree was too much of a hassle first thing in the morning, so his mother gave him his own. He was still expected to make an appearance in the sitting room after he'd finished playing with his new belongings before Christmas Lunch.) There beneath his Slytherin decorated tree (his father refused to purchase anything in the lion's colors), was a generous pile of presents. He could pretty much smell which one was from Louis as it was filled to the brim with specialized shampoos and lotions and _Oo!_ a set of fragrant nail polishes! Scorpius bypassed the gifts from his parents and relatives until he came upon two oddly wrapped presents.

Oddly wasn't the best description of the wrapping. It was down right horrid! Albus had to have used at least three rolls of tape! Why didn't he find some giant box or something? They were easy to wrap neatly. Oh, at least his effort was heartfelt.

Scorpius ripped the packages open. "Wow!" Scorpius beheld the giant basket in front of him! It was filled with many of his favorite books! There was at least fifteen titles, all ones that Scorpius had "hinted" at the last month. He had hoped that Albus would pick up one of the hints, but obviously he'd picked up all of them! Scorpius beamed and almost forgot to open the smaller, dreadful looking gift before he dug into one of his favorite stories. Inside was a pretty silver necklace.

Weird. _That's so unlike an Albus gift_. Scorpius frowned and wondered if Louis had shopped with Albus for this. He shrugged and tried on the necklace without a second thought. It glowed warm around his necklace after he did up it's latch.

Scorpius jumped up and walked to his full length mirror. It was quite pretty. Just a simple silver choker. He smiled as he inspected it from the mirror one last time before he took it off-

Scorpius frowned.

The latch was gone!

He felt all around the choker; _no latch!_

Was it charmed or something? Scorpius frowned and reached for a higher collar shirt before his Christmas morning appearance in the sitting room. No way was he going to explain to his father that he'd put on a magical item that he had no knowledge of. That was just... plain stupid! He'd wait and ask Albus about it later during his fire call.

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

Draco tried to remain calm as Christmas day progressed. He couldn't tell if Scorpius was wearing the necklace or not. He couldn't mention it, and he didn't know if he needed to expect a visit from Harry Potter soon or not. So, he was at a lost at to how he should act or what he should do.

So he decided on being stubborn and annoyed which caused Astoria to be stubborn and annoyed. Scorpius seemed indifferent and lost in thought. Lunch went by quietly past thank yous for gifts exchanged.

Draco hoped his dreadful mimicking of the Potter brat's gift wrapping didn't give himself away.

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

Harry Potter woke up on Christmas with an odd feeling.

"Is everything okay, Darling?" Ginny asked from her dressing table. His odd feeling must've been showing on his face. Harry shrugged as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"I had some weird dream about Draco." Harry admitted. Ginny giggled as she brushed her hair. "I think he's up to something. Why else would I dream about him? My awareness for mischief is tingling." This statement brought tears to Ginny's eyes as she out right laughed at her husband.

"Harry", Ginny said after she calmed down, "you _always_ have dreams about Malfoy. And you _always_ think he's up to something! If you weren't so busy working all the time, I swear you'd be stalking him again!"

Harry frowned. "I've never stalked him before."

"Yes, you did. What do you think you were doing your sixth year of Hogwarts?" Ginny asked. Harry blushed and shrugged and grumbled. "Darling, you'll always have Malfoy as your arch nemesis, but you have to bottle it up while our children are friends with Scorpius. Just keep your ' _he's up to something_ ' research on the DL."

"I'll try." Harry said with a sigh. "But I still think he's up to something."

"I know." Ginny smiled. "Merry Christmas, Silly." Harry beamed at his wife and reached out to pull her into his arms. They embraced for a moment.

"Merry Christmas, Gin."

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

"Teddy?" Victorie asked quietly. The living room was slowly filling up with cousins and siblings and parental figures. Teddy himself had found a cozy spot near the left side of the couch. Victorie sank into the spot next to him, taking note of his sudden tension. "Can we talk?"

"I'm not in the mood." Teddy replied as he made to get up. Victorie placed her hand on his arm which momentarily stopped him.

"You haven't spoken to me in forever, Teddy! I have no idea why!" It was a harsh whisper full of unshed tears. Teddy jerked his arm free and frowned.

"It's you. You've been different." Teddy answered.

"Different? I don't understand what's so different about me."

"Your aura is different in an unpleasant way." Victorie looked confused and upset. "I asked Dominique about it. She says it means you've done something that goes against my nature. She said it would have to be something bad."

"That's ridiculous." Victorie glared toward her sister. Dominique noticed and gave a daring look in return before returning to chatting with James and Fred. "I've not done anything bad. You're just being paranoid."

"Paranoid?" Teddy practically hissed, his hair turning a bright red. "Do not think I haven't noticed the absence of your brother! He can barely be in the same room as me without trembling! And you know what I think?" Victorie shook her head. "I think you did something to him! I think you are jealous that we're friends and that you threatened him!"

"My own brother?!" Victorie's aura flared, cold ice surrounded Teddy. "How can you say something so cruel?"

"At least I'm not a liar." Teddy removed himself from the conversation and settled beside Albus and Rose.

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

"Hey, um... Albus?" Scorpius whispered as he tried to get comfortable in the dark food cupboard in the Weasley's kitchen. The blond boy found the particular jar of pickled beans that was protruding in his calf and scooted it with his foot.

"Yeah?" Albus was battling with some baskets full of onions, garlic, and tomatoes from over head.

"I can't see a thing!"

"I'm sorry!" Rosie whined as she tried to pull back her bushy hair. "It's the humidity!" Scorpius snorted. Albus laughed. And a few well placed swats from Rosie shut them up. "Now why are we in a cupboard on New Years?" Rosie asked. She was standing with her arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.

"We think something bad happened, but have no idea what." Albus said.

"Too vague. I'm getting nauseous from the garlic, please get to the point." Scorpius requested. Rosie nodded in agreement.

"We both got matching necklaces at Christmas and put them on, but we never bought them for each other. Someone else had to have put them in our pile of gifts."

"And... it's the mystery of their origins that you're curious about?"

"No, we can't get them off. The latches disappeared." Scorpius replied. "We figured out we had an issue on Christmas when I asked Al how to take mine off. He hadn't even noticed his was stuck on him!" There was a pointed look from the blond and an answering blush from the brunette. Rosie looked thoughtful as she receded into her head for a moment. "Oh, and they were wrapped exactly like the gifts we did get each other."

"Huh. So that means that the culprit had to have access to the owls." Rosie stated.

"Only myself and my parents have access at my house, but I seriously doubt either of them would pull a prank." Scorpius said. Albus nodded.

"Well, this house is running rampant. Maybe it was James and Fred?"

"Maybe, but what's the punchline of this joke? I mean, not being to take off a choker is not really funny." Scorpius said.

"You're right. There might be more to this than a simple prank. I have to research usages for charmed jewelry to try to figure out the enchantments being used. After I find that we can remove the chokers." Rosie said. Albus and Scorpius perked up at the statement. "But I'd keep the chokers hidden if possible. What if this isn't a positive prank? Both of your fathers have a lot of people with grudges against them. We can not rule out that there could be foul play. We don't want the culprits to know you're wearing them."

"My father always harps on about that to me." Scorpius admitted. "I didn't even consider it because it said it was from Al. My father would lecture me into my grave if he ever found out... gosh... I really dislike high collared shirts..." Albus laughed and reached out to ruffle the blond's hair. The blond dodged the attempt and ended up with a mouthful of Rosie's hair.

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

"Shhhhh!" Albus shushed Scorpius as they attempted to quietly walk up the crooked staircase of the Burrow. They were shuffling under the invisibility cloak and their destination was James and Fred's room. The time was a little after 2:00 a.m. Everyone had spent a merry time playing with fireworks all night and playing exploding snaps. Now everyone was passed out from the merriment. Meaning, the typical house pranksters would be out colder than normal. Meaning, Albus and Scorpius had a glorious moment to return the favors.

"You, shhhhh!" Scorpius bit back as they continued their shuffling. They had to take a moment to finish elbowing each other and stifling their laughter. After their sad attempt to shush each other, they finally found themselves in the older boys' room.

James was sprawled out over his covers in a pair of Chudley Cannons pajamas. Fred had burrowed under his blankets completely and appeared as a giant lump in the middle of his bed. There was a horrendous amount of snoring.

Albus tossed Scorpius a tiny tube with a grin...

**MERRYCHRISTMAS &HAPPYNEWYEARS! MERRYCHRISTMAS&HAPPYNEWYEARS!**

Fred woke up to something different... something very different... like _'why is it hard to breathe in here?'_ different... Fred attempted to sit up only to be imprisoned under his blanket!

"James?! What did you do!?" Fred called as he rooted around in his bed. For whatever reason his blanket was sealed tight to the bed beneath him. He could hear James rustling around before he belted out with laughter.

"Dude! What happened to you?" James asked as he got up from his bed. James paused and looked down at his socks. They felt off.

"Some assistance over here, if you don't mind!" Fred called, surrendering to being trapped beneath his blankets.

"Merlin! My socks! They've been glued to by ankles!" James tried pulling the garments off, but pulling at them only aggravated the skin where his socks clung.

"Haha, that's funny!"

"Shut up, Fred." James looked around the room coming across a tiny tube near the door labeled _Amazing Super, Super Glue!_ "Someone is going down for this." James vowed as he watched Fred attempt to roll around under his glued down covers. "Why don't you just pull the sheets from the mattress?"... Thus resulted in the strange appearance of a large pile of bedding at the breakfast table.


	26. 26

**Chapter 26: Return to Hogwarts**

A few days before the students were due to return to Hogwarts something peculiar happened to Severus Snape. He'd obviously enjoyed spending the Hols with his Louis, but there was something missing in his daily routine. This something peculiar remedied this.

Severus had been billowing down the hallways of the dungeons with a scowl on his face. He wasn't a particularly grumpy person, but he did enjoy tormenting the students. Dumbledore had turned a blind eye to his evil persona as did Minerva for the most part. Only on occasion did she grace him with "a talk" about how students were to be treated. On this particularly boring evening, Severus found himself a wolf cub...

Teddy Lupin had been aimlessly wondering the dungeons looking lost. Severus felt a thrill at the prospects of belittling the lost Gryffindor. Especially this Gryffindor. But first things first...

"What are you doing here, boy?" Severus asked in his cold, unwavering voice. He made sure that for every silky syllable he spoke the hairs raised further on the boy's neck. Teddy looked unsure of himself, much like every student that Severus confronted alone.

"I'm looking for Louis." Teddy said after he rediscovered his Gryffindor bravery. Severus didn't respond but stared the boy down. Teddy, uncomfortable with the tense scrutiny, went through a range of hair colors before settling on orange. Severus glowered at the insulting shade before turning and billowing toward his personal quarters. He needed to think on this for a moment. "Sir?"

Why would the mutt's boy want the see his Louis? Sure the Weasley's populated well enough and considered this one of theirs... but this one was much older than Louis. And his connection to Louis was his sister if he wasn't mistaken by some of the looks he'd witness from the two over the past couple of years. Severus growled and abruptly turned to grab the boy.

"What do you want from him?" Teddy 'epped!' and struggled as Severus gripped his t-shirt and shook him harshly.

"Ow! I just wanted to tell him that I broke up with Victorie!" Severus let the Gryffindor go. A glimpse of confusion crossed his face as he gave the boy a hard look. "I just need to let him know." Teddy looked down at his shoes and shrugged.

There were many thoughts running through the Potion Master's mind. Why would Louis be interested in his sister's relationships? Especially from the mouth of her ex? It didn't seem right. Unless Louis was involved in the relationship somehow... "What is your relationship with Louis?"

"Er... relationship?" Teddy flushed and his eyebrows turned a lovely shade of pink. Severus took a moment to consider the boy's future of failing any interrogations. He was much too expressive with his body language. Just like his mother. "We're just friends, uh, sir."

"You're just friends..." Just friends. Just friends didn't sneak back to school during the holidays to tell their friend they've just broken up with their sister. It's not necessarily an urgent matter. Unless they're eager about something. "But you want to be more?" Severus asked, an educated guess. Louis was part Veela after all. You can never rule out someone thinking they're in love with him. Maybe this boy is the reason that Louis is avoiding home? Maybe he's causing tension between Louis and his sister?

"Sir?" Teddy's hair finally decided to match his eyebrows. "I mean, Louis is too young... even if I liked him... I mean I do like him, but he's way too young... I just thought the news would make him happy and less scared of me."

Scared of him?! "What. Did. You. Do. To. Louis." Severus gravely asked.

"I didn't do anything, that was Victorie! She got the wrong idea about our friendship!" The Gryffindor found his temper and glared at the Potions Master. Severus felt a headache starting to form. Leave it to one of those irritating lions to agitate one of his migraines. "I don't know what she did to him, but ever since then he has avoided me like a deer in headlights!"

"What proof do you have that Victorie did something harmful to Louis?"

"I... don't have proof, I just know!"

"You just know."

"Please, I need to let Louis know." Teddy stood there with a nervous but determined expression. Even though the boy wasn't a Veela like Louis, the air around them become tense and chilly. Severus knew he didn't have enough information to make a proper decision on the request. But he did know that Louis needed a protector...

"Even if it was Miss Weasley who "did" something to Louis, obviously... your presence also exacerbates his healing. If you really feel that you should be the one for Louis then I suggest you stand down."

"Stand down!?"

"Correct, Mr. Lupin. Stand down. Leave. Louis needs to heal and learn to feel safe again. Once he's of age and a confident young man, then maybe you can try to woo him again." The dungeons of Hogwarts had never felt so empty as it did then for the young Gryffindor. You could practically fell the confusion and anger radiating off him. "You can not protect him as you are." Severus said, taking sudden sympathy on the boy. "Become someone worthy of Louis and I'll consider letting you court him."

"What about holidays? Our families get together-"

"I'm sure you can find a way to distract yourself for a few years."

"So, if I become a better man who can take care of Louis, you'll let me see him?" Teddy asked. Severus gave a curt nod. "O-okay, I'll stand down... until I've become worthy."

"You'll stand down until I've deemed you worthy." Severus didn't fear making this agreement. There was no way this boy would ever be worthy of his Louis. No one would be.

"Okay." Unknowingly Teddy agreed, completely determined. He was a Gryffindor after all. Determination was a strong trait within him. He'd work nonstop to become someone worthy for Louis. Besides Professor Snape said he needed time to heal and even if he was the most evil looking man in entire school, Teddy trusted his judgment. After all, his godfather trusted him.

"Very good." Severus turned and walked away only to stop a few feet away. Without turning around he gravely addressed Teddy, "And, Mr. Lupin, if I ever find out that you've violated my terms you will regret the day you crossed me."

* * *

"Seriously?" was the only response Louis had for his two mates. The Holidays were over and everyone had returned back to school. Albus, Scorpius, and Rosie had all rushed down to Louis' side in the Great Hall as soon as they arrived. Louis had been seated by himself, looking radiant with his silvery blond hair raining down his back. Rosie was nodding her head in agreement for what else could one say when they're two friends _both_ managed to get themselves stuck in magical chokers? "And you think it's James?"

"We have no proof." Rosie replied. Since they had been unable to contact Louis about "the crisis" Rosie had been appointed the task of hiding their chokers. So far Scorpius had picked up high collared shirts and Albus wore a leather choker over the silver one to hide it. Luckily it was still cold outside and scarves were in style. "Anyway, I'm heading to the library as soon as I can to read up on enchanted jelwery. I mean, it could be someone holding a grudge against Uncle Harry or Scorp's dad. We need to figure out how to remove them without anyone knowing they've been put on in the first place."

"And... why not tell Uncle Harry?" Louis asked.

Rosie glared at the two sulking figures and rolled her eyes. "It seems that it's more important for Uncle Harry not to know _in case_ it was James." Louis nodded slowly.

"And why not ask James?"

"Again, they're being stupid. They think asking James is somehow going to make James win one over on them." Rosie tried to express her anger in the boys by eyesight, but Scorpius was pretending his nails were amazingly interesting and Albus "thudded" his head against the table. " _Boys!_ " Rosie stood and left to return to the Ravenclaw table. Louis giggled at her exasperation.

"You are both complete dunderheads, you know." Louis said after a few minutes. Albus shrugged.

"It was Christmas. How was I supposed to know someone would trick us?" Albus asked. Louis waved off the question.

"Anyway, since we've briefly discussed your "crisis", let us discuss mine. I've been having these awful nightmares. Wake up screaming, actually."

"Are you okay!?" Albus asked.

"No." Louis admitted. "Yes see, my nightmare has come true..."

"What is it?" Scorpius and Albus asked at the same time. Louis held their gaze a moment longer.

"... your nails. I've been dreaming about your nails! What did you do? Take sandpaper to yours, Al? And Scorpius! No polish at all?"

Albus flopped back with a heavy sigh. Scorpius examined his naturally cleaned nails and arched an eyebrow. "Well I wasn't going to go around with it all chipped up. I got my mother to clean them off. Malfoy's have standards you know."

"Why not redo them?" Louis asked.

"Malfoy's also do not stoop to manual labor."

"What is all this Malfoy's do and do not?" Louis asked. Scorpius didn't grace him with an answer and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice instead. Albus laughed at the blond.

"His dad's been trying to reeducate the Gryffindor out of him. Scorpius is just being a prat. He's really the same. Helped me superglue Fred and James to their blankets." They shared a laughed and Scorpius grinned.

"Yes, wait til they unpack later." Scorpius whispered.

"What did you do?" Albus and Louis asked together. Scorpius merely smirked evilly and got up to head to the common room. Albus watched him leave before studying Louis more closely.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked, dropping his tone down to a whisper. "I can't believe you stayed with Professor Snape the entire holiday."

"I'm... okay." Louis whispered back. "Severus has been good to me. I like being down in the dungeons with him." Albus frowned slightly to himself as he felt the bubbles of jealousy rise in his stomach. Louis understood how he felt. "I know you really want to know him. He's as brave as your dad says, so don't give up. He just has a very prickly front."

"Yeah." Albus bumped shoulders with Louis. "Let's go make sure Scorpius isn't murdering someone's pet in the common rooms."

"Um, I'm not sure..." Louis looked back up at the faculty tables with a worried expression. "I'd rather not be in the Gryffindor common rooms at all."

"Still?" Albus asked. Louis blushed and nodded mutely. "Both Lorcan and Lysander are gone from the school. And they were Ravenclaws. Why are you still so scared? Was there a Gryffindor bothering you, too?"

The scared look in Louis eyes was answer enough.

"Who?" Albus asked. Louis shook his head. "Please, I can't help you if I don't know who I'm supposed to look out for."

"... I can't."

"When you're ready, could you?" Louis nodded his head slowly. Even he hoped this terror wouldn't affect him his entire life. "Cool. It's going to feel weird in the tower with you and Teddy both gone."

"What?! Where's Teddy?" Louis asked quite suddenly. He stood up quickly and almost knocked over some passing Hufflepuffs. A few other students stared in confusion. "Where's Teddy?" Louis asked again.

"Oh, Uncle Charlie offered him an internship in Romania. He's going to finish off his schooling out there while he gets an early start being a Dragon Tamer. Isn't that awesome?" Albus was grinning. He personally thought being a Dragon Tamer was super cool. Louis felt a pain in his chest.

"I... I didn't even know. He didn't tell me."

"Well, he just got the letter from Uncle Charlie a few days ago." Albus replied.

Louis didn't take in Albus' face or voice. Or anyone else for that matter. "I have to go." Louis blindly made his way to the dungeons. He couldn't believe it. Teddy just up and left without a word. Weren't they still good friends? Sure, Louis was scared to be near Teddy, but... that didn't mean he didn't want him around...

* * *

It was about twenty minutes later that Albus found himself a seething Gryffindor in the common room. Scorpius had been rolled up into a sleeping bag and tied down. His hair was a shocking emerald green.

"I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR YOU ARE ALL DEAD! DEEEEAAAADDD! ALBUS GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE AND HELP ME MURDER THEM!" Everyone was laughing and backed from away from the maniac boy. Albus glanced up at James and Fred and held back a chuckle. They were both sporting beautiful blond hair. Scorpius's plan must have backfired... "ALBUS! IF YOU DON'T UNTIE ME A SWEAR YOU'LL BE BALD!"

Ten minutes later, the common room was ripped apart and both Scorpius and Albus were tied up by the hearth laughing like crazy people. Albus was sporting his newest black eye and a ridiculous red nose; Scorpius had a split lip to go with his green hair. Pretty much anyone who had been in the common room at the time had some new disastrous shade of hair that would last for the next week.


	27. 27

**Chapter 27: One Interesting Night**

Draco Malfoy wasn't a happy camper. How could he _not_ know whether the boys were wearing the chokers? He felt slightly sick to his stomach. There had been no sign of any angry Harry Potter anywhere... how was Draco supposed to gloat and preen and then correct the situation when Potter thought all hope was lost?

He couldn't! He had no idea if he should be worried now or later in the future! Astoria kept studying him strangely trying to figure out what exactly he'd done. How could he have done what he did without consulting her?

Draco Malfoy had to figure this out. And soon... before it was too late...

* * *

Severus Snape decided there were worse fates than Harry Potter after all for his personal quarters was filled with savage Gryffindors and other students... deciding thus, Severus grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and exited into a flash of green.

Louis was excited! Severus had given him permission to have a sleep over in the dungeons! Louis knew Severus didn't really _like_ students, but he'd felt his heart flutter when Severus said "For you, anything." He was amazed by how safe the Potions Master made him feel.

Currently, the slumber party was half way through the nail party. Everyone was suffering from two weeks of no maintenance on Louis' works of art. He was quickly correcting this and was very thankful for Uncle George's fume-less formulas. Otherwise the sitting room would just be highly flammable with how much nail polish was being used.

Xena was sitting in awe about their location while a few of the other girls kept huddled together quietly. Louis smiled to himself. Gryffindors were hardly brave when in the heart of Slytherin territory. Rosie seems at ease as she sat off to the side, a stack of books surrounded her like a barrier. Severus had given her permission to his personal library while she was here. She'd reacted like a child at Honeydukes for the first time. Scorpius was Louis' current victim. He was laying back enjoying a pedicure. Albus had outright laughed at Scorpius' interpretation of a lapdog and went about hanging sheets off the sitting room furniture (everyone had decided that a ridiculous tent was in need). Once they were all housed under the sheets, Alicia had produced a stash of candy that everyone jumped at.

"We should play a game or something." Albus said as he settled by Rosie. Rosie blew a fluffy tuff of hair out of her eyes and continued to shut everyone out. But Xena rubbed her hands together with a smile.

"How about Spin the Bottle?" Xena asked.

"Eeeeew!" Most of the group exclaimed (which consisted of mostly the girls squealing).

"Ahem!" Every looked toward the standing emerald green blond. Scorpius looked around with a smile and pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Thank you for your attention, Ladies and Gentlemen. I have a few wonderful ideas for this evening."

"When did you become the host?" Louis laughed. Scorpius shot him a glare before returning back to his audience.

"Firstly, I have a stack of parchment and quills that Albus is going to pass out to all of you-" he looked pointedly at Albus who surrendered quietly and did his bidding, "and I would like everyone to write down what they like about Albus the most."

"What?" Albus asked. "Are you crazy?"

"Quiet you." Scorpius replied. "It is for a good cause, you prat." So after Albus finally finished passing out the supplies, the brunette sat back and pouted. There was nothing but scratching on paper for a few minutes. Finally Scorpius ordered Louis to retrieve all the answers. "Okay, now for the fun part!" Scorpius exclaimed as he pulled out a cellphone. "Prank calls!"

"That's mine!" Albus shouted but his voice was lost in the excitement.

"Who are we calling first?" Alicia asked.

Scorpius smirked. "How about our Headmistress?"

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo!" Scorpius arranged himself in the middle of the group on the floor. Everyone shuffled in close and was holding in snickers. The blond coughed a few times before dialing the number and putting the phone on speaker.

" _Ring... ring... ring... ring..._ Hello?" The Headmistress sounded tired.

"Oh, Minerva! It is I, Severus Snape!" Scorpius replied with his best imitation of the Potions Master. It was far too sappy and completely obvious it wasn't Snape, but the attempt set the group of in silent giggles and snorts.

"Who is this!?"

"Severus Snape, Milady! I can't think of anything except you and your hot bod!"

"EXCUSE ME!?" The Headmistress sounded furious, especially once there was an eruption of deafening laughter. "YOU CHILDREN SHOULD BE IN BED!" She shouted before promptly hanging up. Scorpius was tearing up from laughing so hard and Louis sounded oddly like a chipmunk. Albus wriggled his way to Scorpius' side and took possession of his phone.

"Me next!" Everyone tried to settle down.

" _Ring... ring... ring..._ Hello?" It was a female voice that answer, and Scorpius' eyes went wide. He shook his head at Albus, but the Albus rolled his eyes.

"Yes, is Mr. Malfoy in?"

"May I ask who is calling at such a late hour?" Astoria asked in a serious tone.

"Harry Potter."

"Merlin. Why must you two be such children?" Astoria replied before going off to find her husband. It was quiet for a few minutes before everyone heard Draco Malfoy shout "He what?"

"POTTER!" Malfoy shouted. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

Albus was taken aback for a moment before he found his footing. "Malfoy! I'm calling you to tell you that you're HOT!" There was complete silence as everyone sat on the edge for the reply. It was a bummer when the phone clicked.

"Dude, you suck at this." Xena said and she took the phone from Albus. He gave a goofy smile and shrugged. Scorpius was hiding his face in his hands.

"I can't believe you just did that to my father."

"Why not? You just called the Headmistress. Prank calls, no one is too good for them." Albus said. Scorpius gave Albus a side hug.

"Okay, but I'll only forgive you if you tell me I'm HOT."

"What?" Albus blushed. "You're my best mate, I can't call you HOT."

"But you just called my father HOT!"

"Because he is!" Albus received a painful punch to the arm. He laughed and leaned in close to whisper into Scorp's ear. "But you're HOTTER." Scorpius slapped Albus and snuffled his way to Louis' side.

"How dare you make fun of me. Of course I'm hotter..." Scorpius muttered and blushed. The night went on with many prank calls. No one was exempt. Professor Longbottom, Professor Dew, Alicia's parents, the Minister of Magic, and so on...

* * *

Severus found himself alone in the living room of Grimmauld's Place. It looked completely different than back during the war. It was bright and airy and cheerful. The walls were freshly painted and the house smells of baked goods. Severus envied the place for a moment before a half dressed Potter emerged in the doorway with a baseball bat.

"Were you going to hit me with a stick?" Severus asked. "Where is your wand? Only wizards and witches use the Floo Network." Potter looked sheepish for a moment and ruffled his hair.

"Uh, I didn't think..."

"Nothing new, I suppose... Potter, do find a robe." Severus made himself at home and perched himself on the clean white couch. Potter looked completely confused and ran out to hopefully dress. He came back a few minutes later hastily dressed and with an armful of snacks. Ginny followed closely behind with her arms crossed. "Good evening, Mrs. Potter."

"And to you. It's always lovely to see you in the dead of night." Ginny replied somewhat sarcastically. Potter whined under his breath for her to behave and she gave a wonderful impression of an irritated Molly Weasley. "You're not visiting about one of our kids are you?" Ginny asked. Severus shook his head in reply so Ginny shrugged and took a seat in the fluffy red armchair. Potter sighed and sank onto the couch next to Severus.

"How are you?" Potter asked, he sounded hopeful. As if Severus had suddenly discovered happiness in his life. Ironically he had. Having Louis around and having someone to talk to had definitely improved his emotional void. But he'd rather face death again than admit that to the likes of Harry Potter.

"I receive my orders from a feline now. How do you think I am?" Severus asked.

"I thought we already had a talk about treating Minerva better?" Potter reminded him. Severus pointed ignored him and turned his attention to Ginny. She had stood up to retrieve a few tumblers of scotch. Severus accepted his with a nod. Potter studied his quietly before downing his quickly.

"So I hear your Godson has taken up an internship with Charlie Weasley in Romania." Severus stated.

"Yes, he has. We're very proud of his ambition even if it's so sudden." Ginny replied. Severus glanced over to see Potter looking under the weather.

"He grew up too fast." Potter mumbled.

Severus had every intention of belittling Harry Potter's empty nest syndrome. Unfortunately there sounded a ridiculously loud hammering on the front door. Everyone looked at each other in silence for a moment before Potter jumped up and (idiot that he is) flung the door open without checking who is was and without his wand. He immediately regretted his lack of wisdom the moment a half dressed Draco Malfoy burst into the room.

Severus looked at Ginny for a refill on his scotch, there was a delightful show about to start after all. She obliged immediately.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Draco shouted at the top of his lungs. He grabbed The-Boy-Who-Lived-Now-A-Man by the shoulders and shook him violently. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT A MALFOY WITH SUCH VULGAR!"

"What are you talking about?" Potter asked as he struggled out of the hold. Draco tried to grab him again so Potter slapped him in the face. Oddly, Ginny got up and went to the back of the house without a word. Moments later the Floo activated and Astoria appeared. She didn't pay any mind to the two imbeciles rolling on the floor slapping at each other. She did politely nod in Severus' direction.

"Astoria!" Ginny exclaimed when she returned with a sleepy looking Lily on her hip and a bottle of alcohol in her other hand.

"Ginny, so glad we planned this ahead!" Astoria greeted warmly. Ginny nodded.

"I found this lovely muggle alcohol called Skinny Girl! I thought we'd enjoy it the next time our husband relapsed into children."

"A wonderful idea. Shall we? I've already instructed the House Elves to ready a room for Lily."

"Certainly." Ginny followed Astoria back to the Floo and stopped to address Severus. "They're all yours." She disappeared into the green of the flames and all that Severus had to look forward to now was that Draco might knock Potter out.

"ARE YOU POSSESSED, MALFOY? WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME?" Harry jumped behind the red armchair. Draco pulled out his wand and flung a jinx that missed.

"YOU! YOU CALLED AND DARED TO CALL ME HOT!" Draco shouted. Severus put a hand to his face in attempt to remain passive. He had an inkling that some of the students he left behind might be cashing in on their nature of mischief making.

"W-Wh... H-HOT? You must be joking... YOU'RE NOT HOT!" Potter shouted back. Draco had jumped at him, hit the floor, but managed to grab Potter's foot. One great tug later, Potter landed hard on his bum and Draco climbed on top to punch the brunette hard in the jaw.

"OF COURSE I'M HOT! I'M BLOODY GORGEOUS, SCARHEAD!" Draco punched, Potter covered his face with his arms.

"YOU! BLOODY GORGEOUS?" Potter managed to knock the blond back into the armchair and yanked a handful of his hair.

"Ow! Ow!"

"But..." Potter suddenly had an evil glint in his eyes. "I can't deny how _sexy_ you are with all your paleness..."

Draco blushed darkly and then kicked Potter in the stomach. "GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU SICKO!" The Gryffindor was doubled over laughing his arse off so Draco started grabbing couch pillows and smacking Potter with them. Severus stood up unnoticed by either man. He drew the line at pillow fights. He wanted no part in it. He couldn't believe how little his godson could use his brain sometimes... Severus suddenly changed his mind about taking no part and whispered a spell at both men. It would transfer any harm they brought upon each other back onto themselves. Severus set his scotch glass down afterwards and figured that maybe a room full of students wasn't so bad after all...

He did have to smirk to himself as he watched Potter picking up the baseball bat as the flames in the hearth turned emerald green...


	28. 28

**Chapter 28: The Amoris Rings**

Albus felt like school was just gliding by. Every weekend involved slipping down into the Potion Master's personal quarters to visit Louis. They would experiment with some new fashion that Louis was interested in or with some new untested product that Uncle George owled them. If the side effects were too drastic (there had been a few times that Professor Snape had to intervene with counter spells and colorful statements about idiotic Gryffindors) they would retire to the library to help Rosie research their mysterious chokers. At some point Scorpius would give Albus pointed looks that were their not so secret code for "let's get the heck outta here!" So Albus would then create an excuse on the spot for why they couldn't stay. Usually said excuses fell along the lines of _"I forgot to do Scorp's homework!"_ or _"We need to go feed Marcus... my... uh... cat?"_ and the infamous _"My mom told me to cut back on learning... so Scorp needs to help me... be... I have to go to the loo!"_

Rosie noticed Scorpius' looks before Albus had time to think. "Do tell what crazy lame excuse are you going to sputter today?" she asked with a stern look. Sometimes she reminded him of the Headmistress. Like now for instance.

"Um... I'm allergic to the librarian?"

"Scorpius also?" Rosie asked. She took up tapping her foot in annoyance.

"He's just scared... of... her..." Albus look desperately at his best mate for help, but Scorpius was turning pink from withholding his laughter. Rosie sighed and waved them off with her hand. It wasn't like she had any answers yet. She assumed it was just some prank that James and Fred put together. Nothing bad had happened so far, right?

"I'll be here if you change your minds about being helpful." Rosie said as she settled more comfortably in her chair. She was completely surrounded by piles of dusty tomes and looked happy about it. Al "yes!"ed as loudly as whispering allowed and jumped up to follow Scorpius from the room.

Once the two Gryffindors were free of their duties, they usually scampered off to some empty corridor to play exploding snaps or Wizard's chess. Albus had insisted on no more exploding toads. Scorpius shrugged it off but silently vowed to find some other animal to explode that was more interesting.

It was on this particular evening of Albus being "allergic" to the librarian that the two Gryffindors decided to slip back down to the dungeons.

"Shh!" Albus whispered to his chattering companion.

"Malfoys do not "shh". We are proud wizards who do not silence for anyone." Scorpius replied, completely disregarding Albus' shush. The brunette rolled his eyes as he filtered out the "Malfoy Rulebook Rules". He was sure he'd have enough rules to publish in his future so that others knew how to deal with Malfoys. He was positive it would rake in the galleons.

"So... what exactly are we doing down here, Scorp?"

"I have a dare for you." Scorpius replied.

"A dare? What dare?" Albus asked, excited eyes gleaming.

"You'll see." An confident smirk. "It'll be worth the wait."

Albus nodded and decided to spice up their trip by attempting not to step in any of the millions of cracks of the stone floor. Scorpius distanced himself (he claims it was unintentional) so that he wouldn't be seen associating with a crazed monkey jumping around with wild flipping arms. Unfortunately for the two Gryffindors, skipping cracks in the masonry left one inattentive in other aspects of their surroundings...

Scorpius suddenly realized that Albus was piled on top of Eric Nott and Ray Pritchard. Without much thought (his Malfoy side will not comment on this act) Scorpius jumped into the pile of flinging arms and legs to save his best mate. Scorpius wasn't having much luck in his attempted rescue, the Slytherins were hissing vulgar statements and Albus was slapping at everyone like a girl. Someone (Scorpius swore it was Albus) kicked Scorpius upside the head, so Scorpius bit the next pile of flesh available.

Albus screamed.

"Oops!" Scorpius exclaimed turned hiss as Ray pulled his hair. Eric punched Albus in the face, Albus kicked Scorpius again, Scorpius hopped over his abusive friend and pounced Eric but was grabbed by the ankle by Ray. Albus started slapping Ray, Scorpius farted on both Albus and Ray, Eric farted on Scorpius, Albus and Ray squealed like girls, then darkness descended upon all of them and all movements and biological warfare stopped...

"Imbeciles!" Severus Snape swore as he dug the two Gryffindors out by their collars. Eric and Ray put scrabbled back to their feet.

"Sir!" They both looked sheepish. Albus was red in the face and out of breath while Scorpius quickly tried to organized his appearance.

"Fifteen points from all of you." The angry glint in the Potion Master's eyes did not allow room for backtalk. "Mr. Nott and Mr. Pritchard, please return back to your common room. I will speak with you momentarily." The Slytherins quickly slinked back to where they came from leaving the dungeon hallway rather tense. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy... I am disappointed in your behavior." Professor Snape overlooked Albus and looked straight at Scorpius. "Go back to your tower now."

The Potions Master started to make his way down the hallway, leaving the two behind. Scorpius seeing his moment whispered his dare into Al's ear quickly. Albus shook his head and tried to refuse, but Scorpius pushed his mate toward the retreating Professor.

"Go!"

Albus ran down the hallway, no longer caring whether he stepped on any cracks. Professor Snape had turned and looked confused at the rampaging student before him. And Albus didn't stop. He ran straight into Severus Snape and embraced the Dungeon Bat with all his might.

Severus was stunned speechless and was quickly processing the unusual situation. Even that process was stunned when a flash off light flickered around them. He looked up to see Scorpius Malfoy holding a camera cell phone. Severus didn't even hesitate. He cast a leg locking charm so that Scorpius couldn't run off with the incriminating evidence. It was then that something unusual happened.

Albus Potter screamed and grabbed at his neck.

Scorpius was the first to react. He cast _Finite Incantatem_ at his legs and runs over to the the panicking boy. Albus had already ripped off the braided leather choker Louis had picked out for him off and revealed the silver choker glowing orange. "It's really hot!" Albus whimpered as he tried to get his fingers around it to relieve the skin around his neck. Yet already the choker's glow faded and left Albus with a sense of relief.

Severus Snape couldn't believe what he was he witnessing.

_Albus Potter was wearing an Amoris Ring!_

Severus had magically attacked Scorpius Malfoy and his ill intent activated the Cautionary Charm of the choker! Yet it was obvious the young Potter didn't realize the relevance of the Charm. The Charm wasn't meant to harm you, but to serve as a warning that his intended was in harm... Severus stopped his thoughts again.

_Albus Potter's intended was Scorpius Malfoy!_

How? How had this happened?! There was no way that Draco Malfoy would ever consent to engaging his only child to a POTTER! Severus felt a burning anger light inside of him as he whipped around and billowed to his Floo. There was no way in hell that Harry Potter was getting away with this. How dare he betray him and his godson like this!

He left behind two very bewildered students. One with thoughts about flying to Rosie for help and the other with thoughts of permanent sticking charms for some soon-to-be-printed photos.


	29. 29

**Chapter 29: Severus and Harry's Confrontation**

Harry let out a sigh of relief. The feeling of just slipping neck-deep into a hot bath could not be rivaled. He leaned his head back and stretched his toes in the cool air. Harry concluded he was overworked. He had spent the entire day running around doing the silliest cases. One estranged wife had decided to spell her husband's package to their front doorknob... needless to say, Harry hadn't been greeted pleasantly when he barged in looking for the reportedly missing wizard (the wife had left him without his wand and his family had worried since they hadn't heard from him in a week). Another older witch had reported someone stealing her purse, only the find it in her sitting room at home a few hours after questioning just about everyone in Diagon Alley. Let's not forget having to save a Kneazle from a tree, telling off a new up-and-coming reporter from the Prophet for making up facts in a recent murder case, and somehow getting roped into getting coffees and pastries for the entire auror office!

Harry groaned. He could easily die happily right here and now in this tub surrounded by these wonderful bubbles and with an angry Severus Snape charging right at him-!

"WHAT THE!?" Harry flipped out and quickly started scooping bubbles closer around him but to no avail as he was bodily jerked from the tub. Goodbye heavenly bath and hello furious Potions Master!

"You have some nerve, Potter." The scariest part about Severus was that he wasn't screaming at the top of his lungs. Besides the burning anger in his eyes, he was composed... the scary part was how his words dripped with a slow, silky ire. Harry shivered at the feeling of vulnerability. He decided he was under-dressed for this reunion.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Okay, so Harry himself wasn't anywhere near composed. Severus still had a bruising grip on his bicep and he was dripping wet and getting colder by the second.

"You have to nerve to question me when it is you who have disgraced all courtesy and morals with the little stunt you pulled."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Harry yelled as he attempted to jerk away. He tried very hard but had no success. "I really, REALLY have no idea what you're talking about! I haven't done anything immorally wrong since... well my tumble with Malfoy-"

"Is that why you did what you did? To get back at Draco for a little spat?"

"What do you mean? WHAT DID I DO?" Harry asked/shouted. Severus hissed and pulled out his wand. "SEVERUS! SEVERUS, WHAT DID I DO?"

"Like you do not know, Potter. Only you would be brash and idiotic enough to use Amoris Rings to get back at your childhood rival. What were you thinking!? Ah, but you are a useless Gryffindor who only thinks about himself-"

"What's an Am-amortis ring?"

"Amoris Ring." Severus auto-corrected.

"What is it?" A tense silence fell upon the couple. Harry had hoped that at some point Severus would forget he was cutting off the circulation in his arm, but the man never relented his grip. Meanwhile, Severus was debating cursing the living daylights out of Harry now or obliging the buffoon by answering his questions. _Was it entirely possible that Harry Potter could magically betroth his child to that of his rival's and not know what he'd done?_ Cursing him sounded more delightful... "Please, Severus," Harry looked at Severus with pleading eyes ( _those damned eyes!),_ "please, what happened? What is this ring? Is James and Albie okay?"

"Damn you." Severus hissed under his breath. He lowered his wand but refused to let Harry go. Guilty until proven innocent was his new standing method. "Amoris Rings are a set of rings typically used by pureblood families as a means to betroth two participating yet unacquainted persons. It allows the persons of an arranged marriage an easier transition into their bonding. Nevertheless, they are complicated. There are rules to be followed, charms and spells that come into play-"

"W-wait!" Harry couldn't breathe for a moment. _Arranged marriage!?_ What had Severus said? That he was supposedly trying to get back at Malfoy? "OH GOD! WHAT HAPPENED! ARE YOU SAYING SOMEONE WAS FORCED TO MARRY MALFOY? But... Astoria, he's _already_ married!"

"Scorpius, you fool." Severus replied. "Scorpius is betrothed to Albus!"

And the world just seemed to topple off it's axis... Harry's mouth gaped open, staring at Severus Snape in disbelief. _There was just no way..._ There was just no way! No way! "Oh. My. God. ARE YOU FU- NO! NO! NO!" Harry was beyond pissed. There was no way he'd marry his son off to Malfoy's! And here is Severus Snape stomping into HIS bathroom during his BATH (which was cold now, by the way, _thank you very much_ ), accusing HIM! Harry laughed like a crazed person. Snape had this one SO wrong! The only other person it could be was... "THAT BASTARD!" Harry was extremely pissed.

"Do not lie to me, Potter. I know it was you. Draco would never-" The tides had turned. Harry latched onto Severus and pushed him back. Severus found himself immersed in a cold tub with a furious and very much naked Harry Potter on top of himself.

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLE THINK I WOULD FORCE MY SON TO MARRY A MALFOY! I HATE MALFOY!" Harry shouted, "I'm so mad, I could just... just..." Harry looked down at the drenched professor (who looked very much out of his element at this point), and just allowed his insides to simmer. He was going to kill Malfoy. Dead. Without a trace. But first. "I'm going to wash your hair."

"Don't even dare!" Severus growled out, already trying to push his way free. Harry grabbed the bottle of shampoo and the struggle began.

Ginny had just arrived home. It sounded like Harry was trying to bath a Hippogriff in the upstairs bathroom so she deemed it necessary to investigate. Finding her husband nude wrapped around Severus Snape (with lathered hair) like an octopus was definitely not on her list of what to expect.

"It's burning my eyes!" Severus hissed as he tried to stand up out of the tub.

"It wouldn't if you'd sit still!" Harry hissed back. He managed to shove the professor back under the water in an attempt to rinse out the long locks of black hair.

"...Harry?" Ginny asked, managing to halt most movement until Harry realized that Severus was still under the water and yanked the spluttering man back up to the surface.

"Gin? Hey! Um, it's not what it looks like!"

Ginny tried to count to five in her head before remarking on her husband's statement. "Harry, not in a million years would I even be able to tell you what I think this is. Obviously, something is wrong. So, when the two of you are done, " Ginny gave both men a stern look, "you _both_ will come downstairs and have a cuppa. We will talk. Do not think I will not hunt either of you down." Ginny turned around and figured she'd have to talk to Hermione about performing a memory charm to remove that scene from her mind.

Little did Draco Malfoy know, as he sipped on his perfectly made tea in the Yellow Rose Garden, that trouble was brewing for him.

At the same time at Hogwarts, Albus and Scorpius had managed to inform Rosie of their latest situation. The Ravenclaw was able to deduce what type of charmed jewelry they were wearing based on what they had told her. She wasn't sure how she wanted to break the news to them yet. She wanted to think on it overnight.


	30. 30

**Chapter 30: Overnight**

_It really had been a weird day_. That was the thought that crossed Scorp's mind as he settled into his bed that night. He was happy to find his bed already comfy and warm from Albus. The brunette had showered and gone to bed earlier. The dormitory had a different feel to it now that Louis lurked in the dungeons. While it was still happy and outgoing, there was a bit of sadness lingering with the presence of the empty bed.

Of course Albus didn't sleep in his bed either. But it was almost always covered in laundry (most of it dirty). Scorpius assumed that the House Elves of Hogwarts had long given up tidying after Gryffindor boys. Probably thanks to those people Albus called The Marauders...

"Scorp?" Albus asked, voice slurred with sleep. Said blond smiled at the groggy Gryffindor.

"Yeah?"

"I had a bad dream." Albus replied sheepishly. "It was kinda awkward..."

"I've never heard of an awkward bad dream. Were you naked in potions class or something?" Scorpius asked. Seriously, what could be more terrifyingly awkward?

"No, I wasn't in potions class-"

"But you were naked?"

"Scorpius! I wasn't naked- I was kissing a girl." Albus turned bright red, evident even in the darkness of the room. He also decided along the line that the curtains around the beds were more interesting than Scorp. Nothing was ever more interesting than Scorp.

"...you sure you weren't naked?"

"Scorpius!"

Scorpius laughed and ruffled his mate's hair. "I know, I know. So, what was so scary about kissing a girl?"

"I've never kissed anyone before." Albus admitted. "I didn't know what to do. What if that happens? What if some girl wants me to kiss her and I just stand there?"

"I doubt we're going to be kissed by girls anytime soon. That's just gross."

"But isn't that the problem? It'll happen when I least expect it and I won't know what to do? Do you think they have a book on it in the library?" Scorpius had to control his giggles. He imagined trying to ask Rosie for a book on how to properly snog.

"Probably not."

"Oh." Albus sounded relatively defeated. And that didn't sit well with Scorpius. Albus was his best mate. He didn't want him to be sad and to be upset over such a weird topic...

"Lil Sev..." Scorpius poked the brunette in the ribs under the covers. Albus just squirmed away and huffed. "Lil Sev..." Another couple of pokes brought a small smile to Al's lips.

"What?"

"Promise we'll be best friends forever no matter what?" Scorpius asked. Albus looked confused for a moment.

"Of course we will. Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, you're worried. I want you to know that even if you screw up every relationship you ever have, I'll always be your best friend. You'll never be alone." Scorpius replied. Albus really smiled and embraced the blond. There. Albus was happy again. The world was right again... And then an odd idea came to the blond's mind. It was barely there but it niggled away at his thoughts until it voiced itself without his really thinking about it... "Do you want to kiss me?"

It seemed like the entire world had froze over. Something strange seemed to twist in Scorpius' belly as he sat there looking Albus in the eyes. Albus looked a bit like a fish out of water. Scorpius thought about his question and felt his cheeks flare red. Did he really just ask that? The idea didn't bother him really, but really what was he thinking?

"Wha?"

But a Malfoy is a Malfoy. They do not misspeak. They make the best out of every situation. "I mean, if you're really worried, we could be each other's first kiss." Scorpius said. "We'll always be friends no matter what, so our first kiss will never be a bad memory. And it'll give you practice for when you have to kiss a girl later. Plus, I wouldn't laugh at you."

"O-okay..?" Albus asked. Scorpius rolled his eyes. He didn't sound very sure.

"Okay?" Scorpius asked again.

"No matter what. We'll always be friends, right? Even if I'm pants at this?" Albus asked. Scorpius nodded.

"Always." And then there were no words. Just greens eyes gazing into silver eyes for a sign. Scorpius watched Albus worry his bottom lip nervously and felt the need to reassure him. He found a warm hand under the blankets and held onto it firmly. Albus nodded at him and then found some Gryffindor strength. He leaned in and ghosted his lips over Scorp's. It was barely a kiss, lasted only a second, so Scorpius pulled him back and pushed his lips more firmly against Al's. It was sweet and simple. After a moment Scorpius opened his eyes and saw only green. His heart fluttered. He felt so warm and happy. "Perfect." He whispered as he smiled. Albus smiled back.

"Thank you, Scorp."

"You don't have to thank me. Just thank you mom for-"

"SCORP! Seriously! My mom wouldn't kiss you!"

"All night long~" Scorpius sang out with a laugh. Albus laughed with him. As they settled back to sleep Scorpius had only one thought. _It really had been a weird day, but a perfect kiss..._


	31. 31

**Chapter 31: Unexpected Changes**

Astoria wasn't sure what to make of the company she found herself with. Of course, Ginerva and her had forge a friendship over their husbands' rivalry, yet usually they found themselves together when something went bad. Something usually caused by one of their husbands... So here sat Ginny, the one and only Harry Bloody Potter, and Severus Snape with dripping wet hair. She tried her best not to show her discomfort with him dripping on the lush white carpet in the seating room.

"Could I offer you a drying charm along with your tea?" Astoria asked. Severus Snape always did have a bone chilling glare.

"No, thank you." Astoria sighed, she'd have to replace the carpet for sure...

"Just dry your hair. You don't have to wear it to spite me." Harry Potter whispered. The cold glare was redirected to the Chosen One.

"Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Potter. Drying spells merely leave my hair in a state undesired." Severus replied.

"A state undesired? What the hell are you saying?" Harry Potter asked.

"He means his hair with be fluffy." Ginny said matter of factually to her husband. Astoria enjoyed the look of horror that crossed the Chosen One's face.

"I didn't know you cared about that kind of thing." Harry Potter muttered.

"Not everyone wants their hair to look like your mop." Severus murmured back.

"WHAT?" An elbow from Ginny to preserve the quiet. "At least my hair isn't greasy and lanky!" Astoria looked down at her cooling tea. Where was her husband? She had sent Millie after him upon their guests arrival. If he didn't show up soon, she feared more than wet hair would be ruining the carpet.

"Harry, you're the only person I know who uses a drying charm on their hair." Ginny attempted to cool her husband down. Thankfully, Draco appeared in the doorway. Her carpet might live... or so Astoria thought for only a moment. Draco's arrival caused the air in the room to intensify. Harry Potter was out of his seat instantly and jumping her husband before she could blink. Severus Snape followed closely behind him and was trying to get at his own godson.

"What is the meaning of this?" Astoria asked Ginny. How dare guests just attack their hosts.

"It appears that Draco may have bonded our sons to an extent." Ginny replied. Astoria noted the anger in her voice. Not directed at her, but at the situation.

"Bonded our sons?" Why would her husband do something so ridiculous without even consulting her? He wouldn't... Unless it was apart of this stupid rivalry... Draco never used his brain when he was around the Chosen One. Astoria tried to arrange her thoughts, but everything was quickly being drowned out by her husbands screams and Harry Potter's shouting. Severus must've been knocked aside and merely glared at the pair while he nursed his bloody nose. "Bonded our sons?" Astoria asked Ginny with a need to understand.

Ginny walked over and embraced her soothingly. "Yes, from what we know. Severus mentioned a pair of Amoris Rings."

"Oh no!" The Malfoy's did have an elegant pair of silver rings. Draco had even showed her... But they were merely kept for their collection of heirlooms. Amoris Rings were so out of date when it came to relationships. Astoria and Draco had both agreed that they would allow their son to court when he came of age and pick his own bride. They didn't want to remove his choice like they had! "No! You must be mistaken!" When Ginny didn't snort and giggle that this was a prank, Astoria felt her blood boil. _How dare he!_ Astoria turned toward the pair of fools having it out. "DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!"

What a sight she must've made for Draco to grab Harry Potter and hide behind him. She sent a stinging hex at him.

"Bloody hell! Don't hit me!" Harry Potter shouted as he struggled to get out of Draco's tangle of limbs. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Astoria sent three more hexes, too bad they all hit the Chosen One.

"I'm sorry, my Dear! Please!" Draco had one hand gripping Harry Potter's hair and another digging into his shirt. "Please, you have to listen to me! It was Potter's fault!"

"The hell this was my fault!" Harry shouted and squirmed.

"You will tell me the truth! Our BABY! You used our BABY BOY in your stupid plot of revenge!" Astoria screamed. Harry managed to avoid a slashing curse by tripping over Draco's foot. Both laid sprawled out in front of her. _Both deserved to be punished for being so stupid-_

"Astoria!" Ginny was trying to call off her attack. It didn't matter. _How dare anyone hurt her baby boy! Both were to blame!_

But the world went black before her eyes.

* * *

Harry didn't know what to do. Severus Snape was looming over him and Malfoy with an eerie look upon his face. Malfoy whimpered and clung on tighter.

"Don't let him hurt me!" Malfoy whimpered.

"What do you think I was doing? Dancing?" Harry snapped back under his breath.

"No, but Severus has far darker means of punishment than you." Malfoy whispered so low that Harry barely heard him.

"Draco, explain yourself." Severus said softly. The weird and very creepy shine in his eyes hadn't left. Even Harry felt his blood go cold with that look.

"Potter-"

"Leave all mention of Mr. Potter in your statement." Severus snapped. Behind him Astoria was rousing from Severus' stunning spell. Ginny was helping her sit up. Harry could feel Malfoy's labored breathing on the back of his neck.

"I... I tricked Albus and my son into putting on the Amoris Rings during Christmas. It's not permanent. The binder has the ability to recall the binding if the bond hasn't been vowed upon. I was just going to hold it over... you know who's head and gloat for a bit."

"How did you manage to trick them? If I recall correctly, the intended have to be thinking about each other when they place the rings on." Severus asked.

"I smuggled them into their Christmas presents. They thought they were from each other." Malfoy replied. Even though the conversation seemed civil, the blond didn't stop gripping Harry's shoulders. He could feel Malfoy's perfect manicured nails digging into his skin and it hurt like hell.

"I see. If you would, recall the bond now." An order. Malfoy nodded vigorously and then clenched his eyes shut. Harry tried to pull away while the blond was distracted, but Malfoy was like the worst cause of Devil's Snare that Harry had experienced. He looked over at his wife and tried to give her a reassuring look, but she only had eyes for Malfoy at the moment. Even Astoria was sheet white and staring. So Harry just sat there and waited.

And waited.

"Draco?" Severus inquired.

Malfoy shook his head. Harry could feel the movements behind him.

"Draco." Severus had a edge to his silky voice.

"I can't!" Malfoy cried and clung even tighter to Harry. Harry felt like he was choking when an arm came around his neck tightly. He tried to scratch Malfoy's arm off, but the blond didn't let go and just kept crying. "Something's wrong! I can't retract the bond!"

The room was silent.

"Did they know what they were wearing?" Ginny asked.

"I don't believe they did. They were shocked when the Amoris Rings' Cautionary Charm activated. They had no idea what was going on." Severus replied.

"But if Draco can't take back the bond does that mean they hooked up? They're eleven." Harry asked, voiced strained by a particular appendage blocking his airway.

"I doubt they 'hooked up'." Severus replied. "But they may have made a declaration of vows." He sounded grave.

"Well, isn't there another way to stop it?" Harry asked. He could feel Malfoy shake his head a little.

"The Amoris Rings were intended for two strangers to court. Once they accepted each other or grew to love each other, they could protect their bond by vowing to always be together or to love each other forever. Then no one but themselves could remove the bond." Astoria said quietly. "That means Scorpius and your son made the decision themselves even if they were unaware of the Rings." Astoria burst into tears. Ginny held onto her as both of them cried.

"How can they break it?" Harry asked.

"Only death or the act of infidelity could break an Amoris Bond." Severus replied. "And as you said earlier, they are only eleven. It'll be quite awhile before they could break the bond."

So... until they were old enough to consent? Albus and Scropius were to be engaged until one of them cheated on the other? Harry couldn't believe it... He felt numb all over like this was some messed up dream. But then he could feel Malfoy's nails digging further into his shoulder and knew it wasn't. Harry elbowed the blond in the gut and tried to break free of him so he could beat the crap out of him again, but he was barely turned when he heard Severus' voice and felt a gush of cold air slowly cover his entire body. He could see Malfoy's wide eyes full of terror and could hear their wives screaming behind him. But he couldn't move, it was so cold! It started at the crown of his head and just oozed so slowly across his skin all the way to his toes. If he were brighter, he may have noticed that Malfoy was also reacting to the cold air.

"Wh-what did you do to me?" Malfoy asked.

"A punishment of sorts." Severus said, an echo of a silky voice ringing past the cold air in his eyes. Harry tried to close his eyes, but then is was dark and cold and ever so dizzy. "This ordeal would not have happened if you two had outgrown your rivalry. Once the initial sensations of this special spell of mine passes, you will learn about a new sensation." Here, Severus laughed, a cold and heartless laugh. "You'll learn about the pain a couple feels when they are separated from one another." This time Harry did manage to close his eyes. It was dark and cold, and voices swirled around in his head. Gin was crying, and Astoria. The loud flare of a Floo signaled and echoed like a migraine in his head. And Malfoy's heartbeat was thudding like no tomorrow. Harry wanted to cry and shout and to sick up. This was like some sort of horrid Cruciatus Curse.

The cold just continued to increase by ten folds and the voices were so loud and painful, that Harry found himself out cold. He fell like a corpse over Malfoy who was crying out loud into the night.

His last thought was that this was all just a bad dream.


	32. 32

**Chapter 32: Friendship?**

_There was just NO way this was happening!_ Draco thought as he huddled close to the passed out Wizarding Savior. He _wasn't_ holding his hand, just checking for a pulse... and keeping a constant track of it. He didn't want to find out what would happen should he let go...

The women were still crying and freaking out nearby. The Weaslette was shaking Potter and demanding he wake up. Astoria was just a puddle of tears looming near. Draco felt shame rise once more to his mind. He had royally screwed up this time. Astoria would sure to hold a grudge like the Slytherin she was-

"MALFOY! I SAID LET GO! LET GO OF HARRY!" The Weaslette screamed, bringing Draco back to focus. He grimaced. Angry tears and the rage on her face didn't improve her looks. Just made her all the more red. And it's a shame when gingers can become more gingerish.

"No." Draco said, turned away and sticking his nose up in the air. He could only imagine her expression. Shock and disbelief more than like. Yet Draco didn't get to savor the moment as sudden pain laced through his cheek. "AaaOoow!"

"You bastard! How dare you!" Astoria cried, her hand still raised from slapping Draco. The blond cradled his injured cheek with one hand and tried to look away from his upset wife. "You've betrayed your family's trust! You've humiliated our son and the Potter's family! You've basically married off my little boy without his consent! How could you do this?! HOW!?"

"I'm sorry." It was barely a whisper.

"YOU'RE SORRY? NOW YOU'RE SORRY?" Astoria looked Draco hard in the eyes before pulling her hand back once more. The sound of skin on skin rang through the room. Draco's cheek burned, but it was nothing compared to the guilt and shame burning on his insides. When it became clear that he wasn't going to contribute another word, Astoria got to her feet and left the room. A few minutes later Jillie, Astoria's personal house elf, appeared with a determined look.

"Master Malfoy."

"What do you want?" Draco asked, void of any emotion. He glanced over at the Weaslette still crying above Potter.

"Madam Malfoy has invoked _Submotus Conjunx,_ Jillie shall escort you from the premise until Madam Malfoy has requested your presence." The small elf said, without faltering. Draco couldn't believe his ears. _Submotus Conjunx?_ Astoria was literally kicking him out!

"W-wait! Can't I speak with Astoria before this all blows up?" Draco asked, but the elf replied with a shake of her head.

"Jillie is bound to Madam Malfoy. It is her right to invoke the Submotus charm if she has been mistreated. It is against my honor to allow you near Madam Malfoy. Jillie will escort you from the premises. Prepare yourself." Draco's eyes grew wide. He looked down at his hand clutching Potter's. His knuckles were white and he looked up and saw the Weaslette's alarmed eyes. Draco jumped forward and wrapped himself around Potter like a squid.

"I'm going with Potter. You can't stop me!" Draco growled at the Weaslette. Her shock morphed into anger but she nodded in response.

* * *

Louis wasn't sure what to say that night. Severus came billowing in with cold, dark eyes. He glared at the petite blond before making his way across the room.

"Sev?" Louis asked lightly, making the hell-bent Potions Master stop abruptly. He looked over at Louis with a raised eyebrow. "I-I I like what you've done with your hair."

Severus growled out his anger and slammed his bedroom door shut. Louis was left bewildered and couldn't help but giggle. How he adored Severus Snape.

The next morning Louis couldn't help the laugh that slipped out of his mouth for there was a very incriminating photo of Severus Snape and Al on his phone! He tried to muster his goofy grin in case the Potion Master were to see it. A few smothered snorts later, Louis felt composed enough to venture out of the dungeons.

He was about halfway to the Gryffindor Tower when his phone chimed again.

 _"OMG! We need to talk!"_ A very informative text from Rosie. Louis shrugged and continued on.

He was only a few more steps closer when his phone chimed again. Some passing Hufflepuff looked at him oddly (so what if his message tone was from The Legend of Zelda video game?). He flipped his phone open again. This time it was Albus. _"RoSiE's CrAzIe!"_ Louis nodded silently at that. Rosie was always making a fuss about things. She was a know-it-all afterall.

He was about five feet from the Fat Lady's portrait when his phone chimed again. Louis had to laugh. "I'm popular!" This time he was surprised to see a message from Scorpius. _"Ur mum was HOT in bed last nite!"_ Okay, not that surprising...

The common room of the Tower was swarming with loud children. Albus was shouting something from one corner and Rosie was "calmly" chanting some texts from another. He could also see James flipping out (and pale white) next to Fred. Scorpius was the first to notice him and enveloped him in a hug. Louis returned it before he was set down.

"What's going on?" Louis asked.

"Rosie is claiming that Al and I are married or something. No biggie." Scorpius replied.

"WHAT!? MARRIED!" Louis felt faint.

"No! No, they are engaged in a sense. They aren't married yet." Rosie corrected from her corner.

"Ff..f?"

"Yeah, the chokers." Scorpius answered. "And no, it wasn't James. He went nuts when Al accused him."

"OMG! Then who did this?" Louis asked.

"No clue. It's cool though. I don't mind." Scorpius said with an exaggerated wink to Albus. Al just paled furthered before he ran from the room. Louis attempted to go after him, but the blond stopped him. "He needs time to think. I'll talk with him later after I freak out myself."

"You're not freaking out now?"

"Malfoy's don't show weakness in public."

"Louis!" Winston shouted as he saw the petite boy. "Hey! I haven't seen you in forever!" Louis found himself pulled into another hug. "Ah! The dorm is so boring without Teddy and you."

"Aw, I missed you, too. Have you heard from Teddy yet?" Louis asked. He noticed Scorpius discretely walk off. Winston nodded in reply. Louis felt a stab in his tummy at that thought. He hadn't heard a word from Teddy since before he left for his apprenticeship.

"Yeah, he writes most days. Says it's hot as hell there and misses us a lot."

"U-us?" Louis asked shakily.

"Yeah, he talks about you endlessly. I think he's a little taken with you, if you ask my opinion. Who knows. Dude just disappeared overnight. I wonder if something happened..." Winston looked expectedly at Louis. When he realized there was an unasked question there he shook his head.

"I don't know if there was. Nothing happened with me, though."

"Oh. I thought it had. Weird, well, I'm off to the quidditch pitch. Some of the team figured they'd get in some extra practices." Winston looked over at James and yelled "COME ON, JAMES! DON'T KEEP EVERYONE WAITING! QUIDDITCH OVER FAMILY, MAN!"

Louis looked around but couldn't find Scorpius; he did see a huffy Rosie though. And she looked like she was ready to steam off half her library knowledge. Louis quickly tagged along with Winston and James and decided that Rosie needed to cool off, too.

Louis found himself seated on the grassy section of the field. There was a pleasant breeze and a slight smell of sweat coming from the Gryffindor team as they took turns running drills. One by one they fell like flies from exhaustion. Louis took advantage, and set up his travel spa kit. He didn't get any complaints from the boys (and one girl) as he soaked their feet and scrubbed them until they were soft. In honor of Scorpius and Albus' supposed engagement, Louis painted the teams' nails a lacquered white to represent purity. After everyone was finished and happily packing their supplies back up, (Louis promised to come back to the practice before the next game to redo their nails in the team's colors) the petite blond made his way down to the lake.

Once he was seated under one of his favorite trees, Louis let out a breath of relief. What a morning! But his tiny moment of peace was interrupted with a giggle. A very girly giggle. Louis turned and found a doe eyed Hufflepuff staring at him. She had lovely caramel colored hair and big brown eyes. Louis couldn't help the blush that colored his cheeks. She was just plain adorable!

"Hello." She said, voice sweet and soft. Louis smiled.

"Hi. I'm Louis Weasley."

"I'm Isha Belle." She replied with a smile of her own. "I've been told you like to paint nails. I've seen your work on a lot of students." She walked over and seated herself right beside him. Louis blushed more if that was possibly and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Yeah? I do like helping everyone look nice."

"So, are you going to pursue this as a career?" Isha asked. Louis nodded in response. He couldn't help but stare at how cute she was. Her lips were glossy, her hair shined just right. Even her nails were perfection.

"I want to own my own magical salon." Louis replied.

"Really. How wonderful." Isha's eyes suddenly dazzled with mischief. "And I suppose you think you're better than me?"

"W-what?" Louis blinked. Had he missed something?

"You heard me. You're always bouncing around helping everyone. Well, just so you know, the other half of Hogwarts looks up to me for their makeovers. I've staked my claim here last year and now you're butting in with your manicures and such." Isha said. Louis felt slightly lost. This cute girl before him was not as fluffy on the inside it appeared.

"I'm sorry." Louis said. "I didn't mean to hurt your ..uh.. business, but I like helping my friends."

"Oh, so you're not going to back down?"

"Never." The Gryffindor inside him snapped.

"Can't you just stick to manicures and leave the salon styling to me? We could make a great team." Isha asked.

"Never. In fact, I'm going to increase my intake. Manicures and styling for all of Hogwarts. They'll forget about you once that see how amazing I am. And I must be amazing if my little nail operation is bothering you." Louis replied. Isha gasped and looked offended.

"How dare you!"

"No, how dare you! I thought you wanted to be my friend!" Louis said. Isha laughed.

"How sweet. No, I was looking for my ultimate rival."

"Rival?"

"Yes," Isha smiled sweetly, "rival. You'll do, but just to warn you. I'm a hundred times better than you'll ever be." With a wink and wave, Isha Belle was on her way. Louis looked up at the clouds and sighed.

"What a morning, indeed. And she was really cute." He pouted. That's when he noticed his two best mates standing near the shore of the lake. Al looked like he'd been crying and Scorp was petting his hair in a comforting way. Louis decided they needed some cheering up.

"AL! SCORP!" Louis called, "I NEED YOUR OPINION!" He ran toward them as fast as he could.

"Louis?" Albus looked up and tried out a small smile. "What opinion?"

Once Louis reached them and found his breath again, he replied, "I was considering becoming a hair stylist. What do you think?"

"That sounds wonderful, Louis." Albus answered. "I think you have the eye for it." Scorpius' answer was merely a snort and wink. Louis blushed and smiled.

"Could I possible practice on you two?"

* * *

Sometime later in the week. Scorpius felt his nerves slowly settling down. He will never admit to crying out by the quidditch fields, nor will he acknowledge his increase intake of sweets. Al and him had decided that it wasn't so bad. It wasn't like they were on the dating scene yet (they barely consider Laura anything these days). And if they ever did find someone else, they would just spend more time researching or something (ask Rosie more like).

Scorpius, Al, and Louis were on their way to transfiguration when the oddest sight made them and everyone else in the hallway stop in their tracks. Scorpius had to blink and rub his eyes just to be sure he wasn't going crazy because there was just no way his father was walking around holding Harry Potter's hand!

"Um?" Albus asked.

"Is that your dads?" Louis ask.

"No. You must be mistaken." Scorpius said, quickly grabbing Albus' wrist and dragging him behind some other students to be hidden from their fathers' view. Louis huffed and quickly stalked after them. They successfully avoided a run in and still made Transfiguration on time.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry Potter couldn't believe his luck. That familiar phrase "Why me?" rang through his mind. And in fact. "Why me?" He whined as he was tugged through the hallway by none other than his childhood rival. The week so far had been horrible! Every time they separated they were wracked with panic attacks, and shooting pains that increased the longer they were apart!

To make matters worse, Astoria had kicked Malfoy out of the Manor, vowing that he should suffer. Then Ginny kicked him out of his own bedroom, refusing to share their bed with "that horrid thing". So Harry found himself on a badly transfigured couch with the enemy. He hated it so much. He hated that every time he had to use the bathroom it felt like he was lost and scared. He also hated the relief he felt when he felt Malfoy's hand in his grasp again. The bastard.

He couldn't wait to kick Severus' ass.

Which was why they were here at Hogwarts. They wanted to see if Severus would reverse the curse he placed upon them. He had fire-called Hermione, but she said that they deserved it for acting like children. Ron had tried to argue on his behalf, but that was derailed with just a stern look from Hermione.

Oh well... when did his life ever go right anyway?

Once they reached Severus' office door they ran into a new obstacle. A barrier. "What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Really, the big, bad auror doesn't know what a magical barrier is?" Malfoy asked snidely. Harry glared in return.

"I know what a magical barrier is, Ferret. I was asking why do you think he put one up?"

"It's obvious. He's refusing to have an audience with us." Malfoy kicked at the see through barrier before jerking Harry along. Harry stumbled a bit before he managed to gather his footing again. They were heading toward Headmistress McGonagall. They were overdue in seeing her... again... Harry groaned. How many times had he been to see her since Albus started school at Hogwarts? He couldn't imagine what it would be like once Lily started with her Slytherinish behavior!

Later that day, after a horrible meeting with McGonagall, Harry and Malfoy found themselves wondering aimlessly around Diagon Alley. Everyone was busy glancing at them, but Harry found he could care less. The Daily Prophet had already been printing photos of them holding hands left and right. It was fairly scandalous. Especially with Malfoy staying with them and not at Malfoy Manor. Harry wasn't even able to do any field work with Malfoy being a liability. So, they've basically spent the entire week moping and snapping at each other while trying to not be bored.

Headmistress McGonagall had overruled telling the boys about their situation for awhile. It wasn't like it was a pressing matter for eleven year old boys. She said she'd think on the subject and contact them if she thought of a solution. So here they were, browsing random shops. Malfoy had sent a gift each day with a letter asking Astoria for her forgiveness. She hadn't replied to one yet. Harry sighed. Even if he were to try and converse with Malfoy, the prat would never confide in him. As if he wanted him to anyway... he was a good for nothing... sad... and rather broken looking man... Harry sighed again. He must be growing soft with age if he was beginning to feel something besides anger for Draco Malfoy.

They found themselves in Flourish and Blotts looking for a unique book for Astoria. Malfoy had mentioned that she secretly loved to read muggle romance novels. Since the war, the Wizarding World had made an effort to incorporate more muggle knowledge and practices. This included importing their literature. Unfortunately, a book store was a boring thing for Harry Potter. Nothing good ever happened in book stores. Either Gilderoy Lockhart pounces on you or a Malfoy verbally attacks you or you get a paper cut! Harry yawned loudly as he followed behind Malfoy as they searched through the stacks. It was only by luck that Harry noticed Malfoy's eyes linger too long on a particular book.

 _What to Expect When You're Expecting_.

Harry momentarily wondered if Malfoy wanted another child but was quickly pulled along by Malfoy and forgot to wonder further...


	33. 33

**Chapter 33: A Hallway and A Bush**

Albus and Scorpius crouched down quietly into the darkness. They had even cast silencing charms to their feet after begging Rosie to teach them how. Now all they had to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait...

Albus rolled his eyes when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Scorpius happened to be hiding further down the hall than him. Albus flipped open his cell phone and wasn't surprised to see Scorpius' text. " _I'm BORED!"_

" _Louis said that he has tea with 'the cat' at a quarter to noon. Few more minutes."_ Albus replied.

The brunette only had to wait a few seconds after he sent his text to receive: " _Still bored"._ However, they were in luck! A loud snap of a lock alerted Albus to look up. There was Severus Snape's door... slowly opening. Albus scrambled to ready the camera on his phone.

"Have a good day, Louis." Severus was saying as he turned and stepped out from his private quarters.

_**WHOOSH! SPLATTER! BANG! BANG! BANG!** _

Absolute silence echoed as the bucket that had been previously filled with _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes_ Gallantly Gryffindor Instant Hair Dye rolled away from a saturated Potions Master. Albus almost forgot to snap a couple photos from the hilarity of the deadly situation. Naturally the enraged Severus Snape snapped his wand out, flicked it a few times and had the two literally red handed culprits hanging by their ankles before him.

"Good morning, Uncle Sev." Scorpius beamed. He received a death glare in return. Scorpius only smiled more. Albus snickered.

"Aren't you lucky my days of killing have long since passed. Although, if you keep trying my patience I might have to reconsider." Severus said directly to the blond.

"What about me?" Albus asked, feeling left out and somewhat bold. He would later blame it on being light headed from hanging upside down.

"Haven't you heard? Killing Potters is sport considering they don't die when you kill them." Snape snapped at the brunette. "Don't test me, boy." With one more stern look, the Gallantly Red Potions Master billowed away leaving two boys stranded in the air.

" _Finite Incantatem_." Scorpius released them and they landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor. Albus looked dazed.

"He actually looked at me and talked to me..." He said in awe. Scorpius snickered.

"He did." There was a moment of silence as the brunette let the last few minutes settle in his mind. He barely noticed when Louis slipped out to grin at them. (Louis was the one who had owled their Uncle George for the dye).

"Hey!" Albus exclaimed, interrupting his two mates who had decided to chit chat without him. "What else can we do to get his attention?!"

"Don't worry, Lil Sev, I already have it all planned out." Scorpius looked devious, almost Slytherin in the damp green lighting of the dungeon hallway. _(And to think that Severus Snape had cursed their fathers for doing them wrong!)_

* * *

Somewhere, elsewhere under the heat of the sun, Harry Potter found himself hiding in a bush. Not just any bush, mind you. A bush that was conveniently planted right outside of the Malfoys' wards. He had no idea how he let Draco Malfoy talk him into spying from a bush with him... all day long... Harry gave another one of his defeated sighs.

"I can't see a bloody thing from here." Malfoy muttered after some time. Harry wiped the sweat from his brow and then pushed the hair up from his forehead. It stayed stuck up in an odd sort of manner.

"Of course you can't. There's like a mile or so of funny shaped bushes from here to the Manor." Harry said with no venom. Malfoy grunted.

"They aren't funny shaped. They're elegant. Besides, Astoria likes them that way."

"How silly of me. I must have forgotten what with me being such good friends with you." Malfoy cuffed him gently for the sarcasm. They returned to no talking and sitting around in the bush. Harry couldn't help but think about how itchy bushes were. There were twigs sticking him all over and little tiny bugs crawling everywhere. And it smelled a bit like dirty feet in here with him sweating so much.

"Honestly, you call yourself a wizard?" Malfoy said after awhile. He then cast a cooling charm on Harry.

"I totally forgot I could do that. It was too hot to think." Harry replied. He was completely grateful he didn't feel like he was in an oven anymore. He looked over at Malfoy. The blond was busy staring out toward the Manor. Earlier he had seen Astoria strolling through the gardens, but she had long since went inside. Malfoy was still desperate to see her once more today though. The silence bothered him. "So..."

"Hmm?" Malfoy didn't even look in his direction.

"Um, well... Ginny and I are happy with three kids." Harry said the first thing that came to mind. He could've slapped himself. _It wasn't his fault he kept thinking about Malfoy and that darn book!_ "Not that another baby would be a bad thing. Just, we're happy with three.. ur.. um... what about you?"

Draco Malfoy was blinking at him. Like an owl. Harry wished he could just drop the git's hand and run away like crazy. "We can't have anymore children." Malfoy replied. He said it with a sad acceptance before looking back toward the Manor. Did Harry really just hear Malfoy say that?

"D- um, ur..."

"What?" Malfoy asked.

"Did you... want to... talk about it?" Harry blushed. Boy did he sound like a bird.

"With you?"

"I guess?"

Harry couldn't believe there hadn't been a punch yet. He kept a wary eye out for one though. Just in case. Malfoy shrugged and bit his bottom lip while he seem to struggle with the idea of talking to Harry before he finally tore his eyes away from the Manor and actually looked at him. "We wanted a large family." He hesitated a moment. "I didn't like growing up an only child. Astoria always talked about how she loved growing up with her sister. And the Weasleys always seemed to love having an abnormal amount of siblings and cousins around. We thought we'd break tradition and have two or three kids." Here Malfoy diverted his eyes, looking lost in the direction he'd last seen Astoria. "There were some complications during Scorpius' birth. I almost lost Astoria and Scorpius. It was the scariest moment of my life."

"Scarier than Tom Riddle?" Harry asked. Malfoy nodded. Harry had never seemed to worry when Ginny had their kids. She like every other Weasley was born to have many kids like it was the easiest thing ever.

"It was. It was paralyzing. I couldn't do anything when they wheeled her off to surgery. Just stood there staring. Everything turned out fine, but the doctor told me later that Astoria wouldn't be able to have any more children. Even if she were to miraculously get pregnant, the chances for her and the baby wouldn't be good. It broke her heart when I told her." Harry didn't know what to say. Here was his childhood rival confessing one of his most heartbreaking secrets. He could see the hurt in Malfoy's eyes and feel the hurt in his words. But he had no idea what to say so he squeezed Malfoy's hand (that he was already holding, bloody curse). They didn't talk after that. Harry sat back, lost in his own thoughts, and Malfoy quietly stared off toward the Manor hoping that his wife was okay. Harry never complained about having to sit in the darn bush all the way to nightfall.


	34. Harry Potter and the Potions Textbook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prequel chapter.

" _Things have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always the way we expect." –_ _Luna Lovegoo_ _d from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_

**Harry Potter and the Potions Textbook**

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

The day that he ultimately defeated Tom Riddle was not a day of joy for Harry Potter. It was a sorrowful and painful day. A day that he wasn't sure he could ever live past. A day that everyone lost so many friends and family.

It was the day he knew his heart broke.

He had finally found a moment to slip away after he destroyed the elder wand. A moment to quietly walk back to the Shrieking Shack. His heart was still pounding. His ears seemed to have lost all ability to hear beyond the pulsing of blood. Walking toward Severus Snape's dead corpse was not something he wanted to do. It was scary in a way that walking to his death was not. But, he couldn't just leave him laying there for just anyone to find.

Or for anyone to forget...

Harry's breath catches in his throat when he finally sees him again. And his eyes would never forget the sight.

It was Hermione who found him a few hours later.

"It's all my fault." Harry whispered to her while never looking up. Hermione didn't speak. She just took his hand into hers and brushed some of his unruly hair from his eyes. Harry knew she'd be able to see the tear tracks on his face and the puffiness around his eyes, but it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered. He just continued to cling to Snape's body. Hermione never once tried to move him. She just sat quietly beside him.

Another hour later, Ron and Mrs. Weasley found them. Harry reluctantly released Snape's body and cried into Mrs. Weasley's bosom. "I know, dear. I know. We'll take good care of him." She said softly. Harry nodded blindly through his tears.

_It is all my fault._

_It is all my fault._

_It is all my fault._

_It is all my fault..._

From that day on time seemed to creep by in an endless haze. Harry Potter felt numb when he wasn't crying. When he was crying he felt like he didn't deserve a second chance when so many good wizards and witches had died. Life was an endless cycle of sorrow.

After the funerals, Harry found himself locked up in Grimmauld's Place. He had no desire to leave or to do anything. Sirius' bed had become his haven. Ginny had took it upon herself to care for him since there was no schooling while Hogwarts was under reconstruction. They hadn't gotten back together. Harry had barely spoken two words to anyone. The only consolation Ginny received was that sometimes parts of the meals she left on the food trays would disappear.

That was before the raven arrived.

About three months after the Battle of Hogwarts, a large raven appeared at Grimmauld's Place. It carried a large cotton bound parcel addressed to Harry Potter. Ginny left the package on the nightstand without a word. Harry had his back turned toward her and was looking at some shadow on the far wall. He never acknowledged anyone those days.

It was later than day when Harry noticed the parcel. It was carefully wrapped and very plain. He almost set it aside along with all the other mail and packages he had received when he noticed the inscription. More precisely, he noticed the handwriting.

Harry felt his heart pound for the first time in so long. "But... he's dead..." He whispered to himself, his voice horse from lack of use. His hands were shaking as he picked up the parcel and ran his fingers over the material. He gingerly unwrapped it, slowly revealing a book.

Not just any book. A rare potions book. Harry caressed it tenderly, and felt the tears well up in his eyes. Opening the cover, he found a parchment leaflet:

_Dear Mister Potter,_

_I did not expect to survive the War. Unfortunately, I do not expect the same for you either. There are some things you must know before you can defeat the Dark Lord. There are things that Headmaster Dumbledore neglected to share. According to his wishes, this information was to be shared only when the time was right. If this missive has reached you, then I have been unable to divulge this information in a timely manner before my death. It was to be delivered only upon my death and upon you still being alive. Only by your touch could these words appear. I do apologize for any inconveniences this has caused you and yours._

_According to Headmaster Dumbledore, the Dark Lord created a seventh Horcrux without intent the night he murdered your family. I am truly sorry, but the connection you have with the Dark Lord is an unfortunate side effect of having part of his soul within your scar. The only way to destroy this Horcrux is for the Dark Lord to destroy it himself. You have to willing go to your death to destroy it._

_I know that I am the last person you would ever trust._

_I was a friend of your mother growing up. She has always been the most important person to me. I would have done anything for her. I lost her trust and friendship by an inexcusable mistake, but I never stop loving her. I swore on her death that I would protect you. I will not stop doing that even in death._

_I bid you good luck with your affairs, and I apologize for not being able to save your life this one last time. If you ever need my knowledge or my assistance, I have attached my personal potion text. I recall how much you learned the last time you were in possession of a textbook of mine. Please, beware. This book is more powerful than you'll ever know._

_Sincerely yours,_

_S.S._

Harry felt the ache in his chest expand. He looked at the heavy tome and ran his fingers across the leather bound cover. How surreal it felt. Was he really holding one of Snape's beloved textbooks? Harry felt cheated in a way. A book. A bloody book was all he had left of his mean professor. At the same moment, Harry felt he couldn't breathe. He quickly clutched the book to his chest. It was all he had. It was all he would ever have.

From that day on Harry was entranced with the book. He no longer just stared off into space. He read the book over and over. He cherished every small inscription, every blemish on the pages, the smell, the small scrap of notes slipped inbetween the pages here and there. It didn't seem to be any more complex than the Half Blood Prince's textbook. It was a seventh year textbook. All the potions had been perfected by Severus Snape. He had a few margins with experimental spell work scattered about. Nothing about it seemed powerful, but to Harry the book meant the world to him.

About six weeks after Harry received the book, Ginny broke down. "Harry, please, please look at me!" She had cried. Harry couldn't look at her. He closed his eyes tightly against the world while at the same time fingering the "Property of the Half-Blood Prince" inscription that was neatly written inside the book's cover. "I can't live like this! This house is like a tomb! It's like you've given up and are dead already! Get up, Harry Potter! Please!" When he refused to acknowledge her, Ginny became furious. She picked up a vase and threw it at the wall above Harry's bed. It shattered, raining pieces of glass everywhere. "I want to live! I won't stay here another moment, you bastard!"

Ginny left Grimmauld's Place moments later.

Harry was left alone. Mrs. Black was screaming, but Harry blocked out her voice. He looked down at his book. His hand had flecks of blood where some of the glass had fallen on him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't even move to clean up the glass in his bed. He just laid there and closed his eyes again.

He didn't deserve to live while so many had died.

It was all his fault.

Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One had finally decided he was going to give up. He had been ready the moment he walked into the Forbidden Forest during the Battle of Hogwarts. He had already accepted that he wasn't going to live past Voldemort. It was just an accident that he was still here. He sat up and held the textbook in his arms as he cried.

"I'm so sorry, Professor! I'm sorry that I didn't trust you! I'm sorry that you lost your life because of me! I miss everyone.. Remus and Tonks.. Sirius.. Fred.. Cedric.. Collen.. you. Why did I have to live while you died? It should have been me!" Great tears welled up in Harry eyes.

_"We'll always be with you.."_ a ghostly voice echoed in Harry's mind.

Harry laid back, embracing the book to his chest. He closed his eyes, he was giving up.

The longer Harry laid there, the heavier the book felt.

When the hunger started in, he felt like the book would crush him, but he couldn't let go of it. He needed Snape for this.

Days passed with Harry in and out of consciousness. He didn't know how long it had been but he felt so weak. He closed his eyes again, hoping that he would not awaken again. It was then that the book started vibrating in his arms. Harry looked down at it, shaking and glowing a vivid green. "I've finally lost it.." Harry slurred as the book kept glowing brighter and brighter. The light grew larger and completely covered Harry's body.

Just as suddenly as the light grew it dissipated. Harry felt like his body was suddenly being crushed. Harry couldn't breathe.

Severus Snape was laying on top of him.

"Mister Potter." Snape said. He took in his surroundings and then leveled a glare at Harry. Harry himself had his jaw hanging open and couldn't take his eyes off of his professor. "Why am I here?"

"Y-yo.. y.. dead.." Harry said hoarsely. "Dead.."

"Dead?" Snape sat up, ignoring his state of nudity and noticed the book laying on Harry's chest. "I see. So I died." He said more to himself. Harry nodded, unable to move. Snape looked back at Harry sharply. "You... are doing what exactly?"

"Um.. " Harry shook his head. How could he admit to Severus Snape that he was trying to die? His plan was to waste away, but suddenly Harry felt embarrassment. This man had given his life for him and he was giving that life up. "I can't-"

"It's not complete." Severus Snape suddenly whispered. "The spell is not complete. What spell were you using to resurrect my Horcrux?"

Horcrux?

"I wasn't-"

"Your lifeforce?" Snape barked. "Is that why you look like death turned over? You're just going to lay here and die while the Dark Lord takes over?" Harry shook his head. Snape didn't know. "I did not give up my entire life to protect a selfish brat like yourself so you could just give up!" Snape looked down and noticed the shards of glass around them. He grabbed a large piece and then yanked up Harry's arm.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, suddenly terrified. Snape didn't answer, he just quickly sliced a long cut down Harry arm. Blood welled up and cascaded down his arm in gushes. Harry suddenly felt faint. Snape had come back to kill him! He couldn't even begin to understand why Snape was lapping up his blood. Harry eyes rolled back into his head and he moaned. His head felt like it was on fire and everything felt like it was spinning. The world was turning and he couldn't find anything to hold on tight to. And then darkness came. Cold and quiet darkness.

Harry Potter woke up. The ceiling above him was white and looked exactly like the ceiling in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. "Am I dead?" Harry asked. Everything was white just like the King's Platform. But then his white ceiling was suddenly being obscured by lots of black. Severus Snape was staring at him with a blank face. Harry sat up quickly, shocked to his core. "Professor!"

"Potter."

"Harry!" Snape was pushed aside by Hermione, her eyes puffing from crying. She flung herself at Harry and hugged him tightly. Then there was Ginny and Ron and the Weasley's. But Harry couldn't take his eyes off of Severus Snape who stared right back.

"How are you here?" he felt himself asking.

"Horcrux." Snape said softly.

"You made a Horcrux?" Harry couldn't believe it. "When?"

"Albus had suggested it. He was already dying and knew that if I were to kill him my status as a Death Eater would be solid. Killing him ripped my soul apart. He knew it would. He said that it could be a great resource if things were to go wrong."

"That's horrible!" Hermione exclaimed.

"War is not a time of pleasantries." Snape replied.

"You gave me your Horcrux?" Harry couldn't believe it. "But how? How did you come back?" Snape walked around the bed and crouched down. He was practically nose to nose with the Chosen One.

"Usually resurrecting a Horcrux requires a Dark spell or potion. I did inscribe one such potion inside that book under another name. Unfortunately, you, Mister Potter, chose to be reckless and do things in a unique and idiotic way. As you laid there and gave up your life force, my Horcrux soaked it up. If you had died, it would have been perfect. You are lucky I was able to get there and save your worthless ass in time. I drained you of almost all your blood to complete the resurrection process and then I was able to bring you here on the brink of death." Snape's eyes looked angry. Around him the room was quiet, no one knew what to say. Harry didn't look at them though. He still was processing that Snape had come back. He was standing there. Flesh and blood. He had come back! He had-

Harry reached up and hugged Snape. "You're back!" The Dungeon Bat almost jumped from his skin at being hugged.

"Release me at once!" Snape growled, but Harry had buried his face in the crook of his neck and was crying.

"You're back!" Harry whispered, happiness filling his entire being. "You're alive! You're here! You're back!"

Indeed, Severus Snape was back.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: All Planned Out?**

Severus Snape, Resident Potions Master of Hogwarts, was having a seriously murderous week. Not that it was killing him. It was the urge to murder a particular set of Gryffindors who refused to desist with their childish pranks. It seemed to bring back the thoughts of James Potter and Sirius Black. Those bastards.

And a sudden thought of Remus Lupin. Severus felt his anger morph to hurt. He never liked the werewolf but he hadn't hated him either. The thought of him and his wife.. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and growled. Anger was definitely easier to cope with than the remorse of the previous Wizarding War. He stomped out of his office in search of the two Gryffindors. Just wait until he got ah-

_**SPPPLLLLASSSHHHH!** _

Severus Snape will never forgive his pride for falling for the same prank twice in one week. As soon as he'd left his office, the door opening had triggered a pail to tip over spilling... _sniff sniff_ , some flowery smelling crap on him.

He heard the scuffle of the children trying to run. He allowed them to the count of three before he whipped out his wand.

" _Incarcerous._ " Ropes flew, two bodies fell. Severus felt a wicked laughter on his insides.

"We're sorry, sir!" Albus shouted as he rolled around like a Weasel. Scorpius rolled his eyes and remained still.

"I'm not. Totally worth it."

"Really..." Severus said. "Was it? Totally.. _worth.._ it..?" He touched his fingertips together as he slowly stalked around the Gryffindors. "Is being denied access to my personal quarters worth it? Is not being able to visit with Louis worth it?"

"You wouldn-"

" _Langlock._ " Severus snapped. Both boys winced as their tongues glued to the roof of their mouths. "It is rude to speak while being spoken to." He took a few more steps. "What a pleasant surprise. Quiet at last." But he made the mistake of looking down at his captive students. There they were, just two young lads. One the son of his own godson. The other with the beautiful eyes of his Lily. Currently these eyes were tearing up. Severus felt the anger boil. HE COULDN'T NOT PUNISH THEM! IT WAS SO UNFAIR FOR HIS SENSE OF HUMANITY TO TAKE OVER AT THIS POINT! THIS WAS THEIR FAULT! HE WAS SPORTING RED HAIR AND SMELLED LIKE A... like a... a lily...

Did they know? Potter had told him personally that he would keep his true feelings for Lily a secret. He looked at Scorpius, who up to this point remained defiant. It only took a moment to brush against the blonde's mind.

He sighed in relief. It was a coincident. "Finite" He was no longer in the mood to play the evil Potions Master. He turned and left two bewildered boys.

* * *

Louis had summoned the courage of his inner Gryffindor and had snuck out of the Dungeons without a companion. Lately, with him learning to stay focused on Severus Snape, he hadn't been experiencing as many proclamations of love from others. What he really wanted was a moment to himself, but a moment where he didn't feel caged up. Not that he didn't like staying with Severus, he truly loved it. He couldn't begin to explain, even to himself, why he felt so at home with his potions professor. At the same time Severus had been very moody lately and Albus didn't know how to help him.

He found himself walking the grounds outside, not too far from the Forbidden Forest. That's when something interesting caught his eye. A glimmer in the trees. Without thinking, Louis headed straight toward it.

It was such a beautiful glimmer. Entrancing almost. The closer Louis walked towards it the farther it seemed to go into the forest. Then it just suddenly stopped. Louis felt himself trembling. The glimmer was coming from a creature, a Veela. She was beautiful; long silver hair cascading down her back. Her beak was a striking purple and her eyes seemed like galaxies, dark voids shimmering with reflected lights. And her feathers looked so soft, Louis found himself reaching out to stroke one of her wings. The Veela cooed and encircled the both of them with her massive wings.

Louis looked up into her eyes and felt so at peace. She leaned forward and nuzzled his neck. He found himself in a warm embrace and felt the Veela purr. Suddenly he felt warm like his entire body was with fever. Louis tried to pull back, but the Veela held tight and cooed again. It sounded almost like a song. Louis could smell something sweet, and the air around them felt thick. He could taste the sweetness on his tongue. With every breathe he took, the more feverish he felt.

What was happening to him? _What is she doing to me?_

Then, as quickly as his fever set in, Louis found himself cooling down. Finally the Veela allowed him to pull back a bit. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. When he attempted to ask her what had happened nothing but a squawk came from his mouth! Louis quickly reached up to his face and felt a beak on it! A hard and smooth beak! And then he realized that he was covered in feathers! Lush and soft, white feathers that seemed to shine like opals in the light! He felt panicked and squawked at the Veela again! She leaned forward to nuzzle him once more before taking flight into the air, leaving Louis falling to the ground from the powerful gust of wind from her wings.

She was gone and Louis was stranded, looking like an giant bird with no wings! _What am I going to do?_

* * *

Harry found that he couldn't sleep. After spending the entire day, evening, and most of the night Astoria watching the two wizards found themselves back on the badly transfigured couch. Malfoy had quickly passed out and was snoring rather loudly. Harry groaned at how sweaty his hand felt, still in a vice like grip with Draco's. He missed Ginny, her presence a comfort for him. He knew she was still upset about everything. She had been avoiding him mostly or just glared knives at Malfoy. On the other hand, Lily had found their situation hilarious. She must have taken a hundred photos of them on her cellphone. He wouldn't be surprised if she ended up selling them to the highest binder just for the humor of it. Harry groaned.. he just knew Lily was a Slytherin.

Malfoy chose that moment to roll over their invisible line on the bed. Harry grunted and tried to push Malfoy back to his side, but he ended up being hugged like a giant teddy bear. "Ugh..." Harry let go of Malfoy's hand so that he could try to unwrap himself to no avail. Suddenly thinking about how nice it was to have his hand free, Harry decided to ignore the arm and leg thrown over him. _I can be a little spoon._ Harry pulled the covers up tighter and closed his eyes. At least like this, he could pretend that loud snoring person behind him was Ginny.

Ginny would find the two early in the morning and woke them up with her laughter. With all the intense feelings floating around, finding Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy snuggling was enough the light her world. Ginny made sure to snap a few shocked photos of the two before flooing to Astoria.

"What the hell, Potter?" Malfoy growled. Harry was sitting up and rubbing his hair in confusion. What had just happened? Malfoy had decided he was still too tired to care and tighten his hold around Harry's waist. "Nev'rmind. I'm going back to sleep."

Harry shrugged and laid back down. "Can I be the big spoon now?"

"No." Malfoy muttered. "I'm the big spoon." Harry rolled his eyes and didn't push. He was still tired himself. He needed his sleep if he was to be spying from more bushes today.


End file.
